


Bringing Down the Walls

by doodily



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Armin is a BAMF, Blow Jobs, Crying Eren Yeager, Dirty Talk, Dirty Thoughts, Doctor Hange Zoë, Domestic Fluff, Dry Humping, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Fights, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Homeless Eren Yeager, INCREDIBLY SLOW BURN, M/M, Masturbation, Overprotective Mikasa Ackerman, POV Alternating, Rimming, Slow Burn, Snark, Tattoo Artist Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Technical Tattoo Jargon, lots of piercings, snark everywhere, so much dialogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:20:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 62,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5798617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doodily/pseuds/doodily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi hates a lot of things: dirt, the cold, and people in general. When he runs across a filthy, freezing teenager, his conscience gets the better of him and he takes the boy in. Faster than he thought possible, Levi finds out that not everyone is completely horrible. Dirt still sucks, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU here. Just for reference purposes, I put Shingansina and Mitras at about the same distance from each other as Chicago and New York City. Shingansina is a suburb of Trost, the main city out there. Mitras is like NYC in that it has different boroughs and is much, much bigger than Trost. I think that's enough general background for now.  
> If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. I also have a tumblr. It's filled with SNK, DMMd, NSP/GG, and random yaoi. Very NSFW. Very.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi makes a startling discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, welcome to the story. I hope you enjoy it, so let the show begin!

Levi hated being cold. He hated dirt, too. And idiots. And crowds. And mornings. And the color pink.

He actually hated quite a lot of things, but cold was up there on the list. It usually ran neck-and-neck with filth. Right now, though, he would gladly sit in a pile of garbage (as long as he couldn’t smell it) if it meant he would warm up. Crossing his arms and bowing his head against the wind, he trudged through the quickly falling snow to his apartment building. A few other people roamed the streets, moving towards their destinations as fast as possible to get out of the seemingly sub-arctic temperatures.

A large truck rounded the corner at the far end of the street, its plow throwing snow onto the sidewalk and anyone who happened to be too slow to get out of the way. Cursing, Levi half-jogged to the next alley and ducked in seconds before the truck passed. Only a few bits of snow hit his legs and he reminded himself that it could have been worse. The trash bag at the very corner was covered and looked like nothing more than a giant pile of snow.

As he passed the lump, he heard a low noise. Stopping, he looked around, unable to see anything or anyone that could have made it. The noise came again a minute later and his jaw dropped. Falling to his knees and heedless of the moisture seeping through his pants, he dug at the snow. Shockingly green eyes blinked at him sluggishly before fluttering closed. Swearing loudly, Levi redoubled his efforts and revealed a skinny teen boy wearing a threadbare hoodie and jeans that were more hole than fabric. He cradled a worn backpack against his chest.

“Hey, are you all right?” When there was no answer, Levi smacked the boy’s cheek lightly. Blue lips moved slightly, but there was no other reaction. “Come on, let’s get you up and warm.”

Standing up, Levi looked down at the boy. For all the urgency of the situation, he had to think. The boy, even though younger and skinny as a rail, was several inches taller than himself. Grumbling about his slight stature for the millionth time, Levi pried the backpack out of the boy’s grip and flung it over his back, readjusting his own messenger bag so neither would interfere with his movement. Then, sidling against the boy, he squatted down and lifted him up. The boy was surprisingly light but, then again, he was very skinny.

Carrying him in a bridal hold, Levi made it the final four blocks to his apartment building and buzzed his neighbor with an elbow since he couldn’t get to his key with his arms full. When she didn’t answer immediately, he slammed the button repeatedly until an irritable voice answered.

“What the hell?”

“Hanji, it’s Levi. Buzz me in, it’s an emergency. And meet me at my place.”

“Levi?” The voice changed to amusement. “What’s wrong? Did you forget your key or something?”

“I said it was a fucking emergency, four-eyes! Now open the goddamn door or we’re going to have a dead fucking body on our doorstep!”

The door lock clicked and Levi kicked it open, rushing into the semi-warmth of the foyer. He hit the elevator button with the same elbow and groaned as it took forever to descend. Once the metal doors finally opened, he stepped in and jammed the button for the sixth floor.

After another interminable wait, the doors slid open once again and he moved as fast as he could to his apartment. Thankfully, Hanji waited just outside his door. She gasped and ran to him. “Oh my god, Levi! Where are your keys?”

“Side pocket of the messenger bag.” Hanji moved alongside him as she dug through the bag, finally pulling out his keys and rushing back to his door to unlock it ahead of him. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a thick stack of towels. Without a word, she laid a few on the floor in front of the radiator and he gently put the shivering boy down.

“All right, first things first. We have to get him out of those wet clothes.” Hanji eyed them both speculatively. “He’s taller than you, but he’s so skinny, your stuff will probably fit him.” When Levi hesitated for a moment, she smacked his arm. “Go!”

In his bedroom, Levi dug through his dresser for a pair of sweatpants and the largest sweatshirt he could find. He started back to the living room, but stopped for a second to consider his bed. The comforter needed changed and washed anyway so he grabbed it, too.

Hanji had managed to pull off the boy’s hoodie but had to enlist Levi’s help with the rest. As more of the boy’s lightly tanned skin was revealed, the more shocked they both became. Not only was he skinny, he was nearly emaciated, not to mention covered with scars. Hanji handed Levi a towel and they dried him as best as they could from top to bottom. When Levi pressed the towel to the boy’s chest he could easily feel every rib and, as he swiped off the moisture, nearly cut himself on the protruding hipbones.

Once they had him redressed and wrapped in the comforter, Hanji stood and stretched. “Do you have a warm humidifier?”

He thought about it for a second. “Yeah, somewhere.”

“Go get it. I’m going to go get my emergency kit and I’ll be right back.” Without another word, the brunette left the room at a near run. Levi went to his office and dug in the closet. Behind a stack of boxes filled with things he couldn’t use but didn’t want to throw out, he found the machine. He had it filled and plugged in by the time Hanji came back.

She nodded in approval and knelt near her patient’s side. Levi retreated to the kitchen to make some tea, watching Hanji as she worked on the boy. Just as the kettle began to whistle she came over to him and leaned against the bar.

“So you think he’ll recover?”

She nodded, blowing steam off of the cup of tea Levi handed her. “Yeah. He started coming around when I was checking him out. His core temp is still low, so keep him covered and when he wakes up give him warm stuff. Tea, plain broth, things like that. When he’s lucid enough to carry on a conversation, he can take a warm soak. Not hot, or it might send him into shock. Warm.”

She didn't even bother to ask why he didn't take the kid to the hospital. It was a well-known fact that the closest one was a place only frequented by addicts fiending for their next fix and those with literally no other options. When you stepped through the doors you had a fifty-fifty chance of coming back out alive. It was widely considered to be more of a waiting room for the morgue than an actual place of healing.

He nodded as she kept talking, filing away her various instructions as he did. When she finished, she took a sip of tea and looked at him. “So why did you come home with a starving child on the verge of freezing to death?”

Levi told her the story and she frowned. “Poor thing. He’s lucky you found him when you did or he’d most likely be dead by now.”

He hummed in agreement and they sipped the rest of the tea in a comfortable silence. Even though Hanji annoyed him to no end sometimes, she was a useful person to know. Levi would never admit to it, but she was probably his best friend. As soon as he moved in to this apartment, she introduced herself and regularly barged in on his life until he had no choice but to accept her and all of her quirks. In this case, it was also amazingly helpful that she was in the tail end of medical school and knew what she was doing.

After finishing, Hanji set the cup on the bar and left, but not before checking the boy’s temperature and reminding Levi to call her if there were any changes. When the door had closed behind her, Levi let out a deep sigh. Cracking his neck, he decided to get to work. He needed to fix the linens on the bed and scrub the floor where they had neglected to remove their shoes after coming in. On top of that, he had to wash the filthy clothes the boy had been wearing. Plan in mind, Levi grabbed his rubber gloves and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). Come visit me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren wakes up in a strange place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to switch POV back and forth on a fairly regular basis, just as an FYI. Also, I plan to update a couple times a week. I'm not going to pin down any exact days yet, but we'll see how things go and I may end up scheduling uploads.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Warmth.

Eren snuggled into the blanket covering him and sighed, inhaling the fresh scent of detergent and a slight hint of cologne.

Wait a minute… The last thing he remembered was collapsing in an alley, too exhausted to move another step. Then what was the warmth?

His entire body was stiff and fought his control. Eventually, he managed to crack his eyes open. After a few blinks the area came into focus. The room itself was spartan, but not unwelcoming. Wood floors, a dark blue couch and white walls shone spotlessly. Someone on the far side of the room scrubbed at the floor on their knees. He must have made some sound because the person’s head whipped toward him. They stood and came over, squatting before him.

“Oi, you okay?”

The deep voice came from a man dressed in all black, save for a white bandana tied around his hair. Dark grey eyes looked him over cautiously. Eren struggled to sit up and the man put his hands out. “Easy there.”

With his assistance, Eren managed to sit up, crossing his legs for balance. The blanket still wound around him tightly, he clutched it tighter as the beginnings of fear started. “Who are you? Where am I? What happened?”

The man’s lips twitched slightly. “First things first. Think you can keep something warm down?”

At his words, Eren’s stomach grumbled. Without any wasted movement, the man retreated to what looked like a kitchen and, soon enough, returned with a steaming mug of something. He tried to reach for it, but stopped when he realized that he still had no idea who this was or what his plans were.

“Well?”

Instead of taking the mug, Eren met the stranger’s gaze. “What am I doing here?” His tone brooked no argument and the man sighed, sitting all the way on the floor and crossing his legs.

“My name is Levi. This is my place. I found you in an alley, half-dead from the cold, so I brought you back here. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would have just left you to die. Now, take the damned broth.”

Loathe to turn down the food, Eren untangled his hands and took the mug, relishing in the warmth it emitted. It steamed lightly as he brought it to his mouth, sipping gingerly. Heat spread through his middle when it hit his empty stomach and he moaned softly. Without any further hesitation, he drank the rest of it slowly, knowing from experience that gorging himself would only make him sick. When the mug was empty, the man took it from him and, without a word, refilled it and brought it back, assuming the same position as before. Gnawing hunger pains abated for the moment, Eren studied the man in front of him as he cradled the broth to his chest.

The man – Levi, he remembered – had taken off the bandana to show undercut floppy black hair that just barely hung in his eyes. The eyes themselves were a steely grey with pronounced bags underneath. His expression seemed fixed in a resting bitch-face, but the slight lifting of eyebrows showed his concern. Silver glinted from multiple places on both ears and a small corner of a tattoo peeked out from the very edge of his collar. He was short but his body seemed well-muscled and graceful as he moved. The black clothing made him seem super pale, but fit his attitude, from what he had seen.

Again, the spotlessness of the apartment hit him and he suddenly felt disgustingly filthy. Unsure of what to make of this surreal situation, Eren cleared his throat. “What happened to me?”

“I found you in an alley, curled up and completely covered in snow. You were blue and barely breathing, so I brought you back here to warm up. My neighbor is a doctor and she helped.” Those hypnotic grey eyes moved over his face. “What’s your name?”

“Eren. Eren Jaeger, sir.” He decided to err on the side of caution, not knowing if this man was to be trusted. After all, this wasn’t the greatest neighborhood and people had stabbed him in the back too many times to count.

Levi scoffed. “Don’t call me sir. It makes me feel older than I already am.”

“Okay… Levi.” Eren adjusted his position and stilled in panic. “Where are my clothes?” He knew the familiar feel of his hoodie and holey jeans and the cloth covering him under the blanket was certainly not the fabric he had become accustomed to.

“Did you miss the part where you were covered in snow and dying of hypothermia? We had to get you out of the wet things and into something dry. Those are my clothes. Yours are in the wash as we speak.”

“Oh.”

Silence descended and neither one of them moved to break it. Eren sipped the last of his broth and sighed deeply. Levi held his hand out for the mug and Eren gave it to him, noticing the difference between their hands as he did. Levi’s were strong and sure as he took the cup, where Eren’s were thin and bony, shaking slightly under the weight of the porcelain. Levi retreated to the kitchen and Eren heard the soft clinking of dishes.

“Oi, brat.”

The deep voice called out and Eren could only assume that ‘brat’ meant him. “Yeah?”

“Can you eat any more right now or will it make you sick?”

“I’m good for now, thanks.”

A noncommittal grunt answered him and a moment later, Levi emerged from the kitchen only to disappear through another door. The sound of running water reached him and shortly after, the short man came back into the living room. He held out a hand and Eren stared at it, unsure of what to do.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Come on, then. You’re still freezing, not to mention disgustingly filthy. There’s a warm bath waiting.” Eren took the proffered hand, swaying when he stood. Levi wrapped an arm around his waist to help support him and led him into the bathroom. It sparkled like the rest of the apartment, the white porcelain and tile nearly blinding.

“Strip and get in. I’ll bring you a towel and some clean clothes.”

Eren leaned against the counter as the older man let go. When the door closed behind Levi, he let out a shuddering breath. This was the nicest anyone had been to him since… well, it had been a long time. The thick comforter pooled around his feet as he let go. With shaking arms, he pulled off the sweatshirt and kicked off the pants before stepping into the bath.

Warm water slid over his body and a long, low moan escaped. The blanket was good, the broth was better, but this? This was heaven. Eren sunk down until the water lapped at his chin, closing his eyes. He hadn’t taken a bath probably since he was a child. Showers, yes, but to soak in the delicious warmth of a tub? Not for what seemed like forever.

After one knock, Levi came in, placing a stack of cloth on the counter. He picked up the used clothing and the comforter, then looked at Eren. Eren didn’t particularly mind having the other man in the room with him. It wasn’t the first time another man had seen him naked and wouldn’t be the last. Besides, he was covered in the water.

“Is it too warm? I don’t want you to go into shock.”

Eren smiled at the man’s concern. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” Levi turned to leave, but Eren stopped him. “Um, you wouldn’t happen to have a razor I could use, would you?”

“In the medicine cabinet. There's a toothbrush, too. And clean up after yourself.”

Without another word, Levi left. Eren stared at the closed door for a moment before shrugging to himself. Levi was brusque, but Eren didn’t have a reason to distrust him at the moment. He wasn’t naive enough to think that he could trust him completely, so he would keep a wary eye on the man. He did have to give him the benefit of the doubt, though, seeing as the guy did save his life.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). It's filled with SnK, DMMd, NSP/GG, fangirling and yaoi. Mostly NSFW. I regret nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji to the rescue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, here's another chapter! Thank you to everyone who has commented or left kudos on this. I love you so very much.
> 
> Just a reminder, this fic is tame right now but I will make sure to earn the Mature/Explicit rating and add relevant tags as we get to the heavier bits. Worry not, my fellow smut-lovers. I can't write anything with these two without involving a bed. Or a couch. Or some other random surface. I'm so looking forward to those scenes. 
> 
> Comments and reviews are love.

Levi set another kettle on the stove to boil and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Hanji had said she would be down in a few minutes when he called to let her know that the kid had woken up. Ugh, the kid. Levi felt for him, he really did, but it didn't sit right that there was some stranger in his house, dirtying up his tub. Not only that, but who knew if the kid was a thief or had some addiction that would come back to bite Levi in the ass.

That said, he couldn't help but draw parallels between the two of them. Eren was young and obviously led a shitty life. Levi knew that feeling more than he would care to remember, even though he had never ended up freezing nearly to death. Granted he would probably be dead by other, more nefarious means if he hadn't met Erwin when he had, but that was beside the point.

The front door burst open and Hanji ran in without knocking, her manic energy filling the place immediately. She looked around the room before turning to Levi. “Where is he?” Her tone was slightly accusing.

“Chopped up into a dozen pieces in a garbage bag in my closet.” He rolled his eyes. “In the tub. It’s going to take me a week to get the ring out of it. He’s filthy.”

“Ah.” She hopped up on the bar counter, sticking her tongue out when he glared at her. “So what are we going to do with him?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s sick, Levi.” At his blank stare, she sighed and hopped off the counter. Clasping her hands behind her back, she went into teacher-mode. “He’s emaciated. He’s clearly homeless. He nearly died not a few hours ago. We can’t just make sure he isn’t dead and send him back out there. You’ll find his corpse tomorrow if we do.”

Damn her, but she was right. Levi leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “So what do you propose?” He had a sneaking suspicion. When her eyes flicked towards his office, he snarled. “I don’t fucking think so.”

“Come on, Levi! You only work outside a few days a week _and_ you have a spare bedroom. With everything I have going on I barely live at my place. Plus, I don’t have the room! I don’t think Mo would like to share with another guy.”

“No.”

Despite her repeated pleas, Levi shot her down every time. An hour later they sat on the couch, watching some knock-off version of The Real World when the bathroom door closed softly. They both turned to see the teen pad across the room in his bare feet, moving warily as he eyed Hanji. Levi stood and made his way to the kitchen to pour a third cup of tea for the new addition.

“Well?” Levi turned at Hanji’s voice.

“Well, what?”

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Ah. Hanji, meet Eren Jaeger. Eren, this is Hanji. She’s the one who saved your life.”

“Hi, Eren. Do you mind if I look at you again? I just want to make sure you’re coming out of it okay.”

Eren looked to Levi in question. He nodded once and Eren’s tense shoulders relaxed a little. He sat next to Hanji, who gave Levi a little knowing smile before turning her attention to her patient. Levi went to go make a new pot of tea.

That was interesting. Eren didn’t know Levi at all, but had looked to him for approval before deciding to go to Hanji. Then again, he had been passed out when Hanji was there earlier, so maybe he was just using him as the lesser of two evils. After all, the brat didn’t have any reason in the world to trust him. For all he knew Levi and Hanji were fattening him up for a ritual sacrifice or something.

Not that Levi would do that. Hanji, though… she would do just about anything to sate her curiosity.

When he returned to the living room, Eren had taken off the sweatshirt and laid flat on the couch while Hanji gently touched his chest and stomach, her ear nearly against his skin as she listened for something. Without opening her eyes or adjusting her position, she grimaced. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

“Well, that broth a little bit ago. Before that… I don’t know. A couple days? Three?”

“Oh, Eren...” Hanji moved on from his abdomen to check his joints, asking tons of questions as she did. Levi sat in an armchair and listened as she drew out the boy's story, or at least as much of it as he was willing to share with a stranger.

Eren was 19 years old and had left an unhappy home the moment he turned eighteen, living on his friend's couches for a few months until he graduated high school. After that he moved over a thousand miles from the small town of Shingansina to Mitras when a friend of an acquaintance offered him a once-in-a-lifetime job. Unfortunately, the job was no longer available when he arrived and he didn't have the money to get back to familiar ground. For the past year he had been living in and out of shelters, but the only ones that weren't rife with thugs and drug addicts were closed down due to lack of funding, so he had nowhere to go. Everything he owned in the world was in the backpack.

Even though his story was sad, Levi didn't pity the boy. He had the inner strength to survive and from the look in his eyes, didn't want any pity. When Hanji asked if he had anywhere to go to keep out of the cold, he just said that he would figure something out. Her eyes flicked to Levi and he nodded minutely, a tiny motion that Eren didn't seem to notice. The woman smiled and turned back to Eren.

“Well, you aren't going to keel over in the next few minutes, so that's good.” She allowed him to wrap up with a throw blanket and curl up on the couch. Hanji smiled and stretched as she stood, back popping audibly. “I have to get some sleep. I have a shift at six AM, so I need to get going. If it's okay with you, Eren, I'd like to come back tomorrow to see how you're doing.”

Before the boy had a chance to open his mouth, Levi spoke up. “That'll be fine, Hanji. Go get some sleep and try not to kill anyone.”

“Aye aye, Captain Levi, sir!” He flipped her off when she mockingly saluted him. With a laugh, she waved goodbye and exited, leaving the apartment silent except for the forgotten TV show in the background. Levi idly scrolled through his phone, content with the quiet. It had been a long day at work, not to mention everything since then. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eren wrap up tighter in the blanket and close his eyes briefly before shaking it off and watching the TV.

Several minutes passed in this way until Eren nearly fell off the couch as he drifted to sleep. Pushing up out of the chair, Levi went to the linen cabinet and got out a spare set of sheets, an actual blanket, and a pillow. When he came back into the living room, Eren eyed him warily. “Get up, brat. If you're gonna pass out, at least you can be comfortable while you do it.”

Wordlessly, the boy got up and watched as Levi made him a bed on the couch. When it was ready, he crawled in and looked up at the older man. “Thanks.”

Levi scoffed. “I didn't want you hurting yourself. Four-eyes would never let me hear the end of it.” He looked around and sighed. “There's food in the kitchen, but don't make yourself sick. I'll make you lick it up if you puke in here.”

“Okay.”

“And listen, you can go if you want. I'm not keeping you hostage. Or stay, I don't care. But if I find anything missing, just know that I will find you and disembowel you. Got it?”

Eren looked offended at that and he frowned. “I'm not a thief. And even if I was, how could I steal from the person who saved my life?”

Levi had to huff a tiny laugh at that. “You're still naive, kid. You don't know me and I don't know you. Consider it a fair warning. Now if we're done, I'm going to bed, too. If you die overnight I'm gonna kick your ass for fucking up my couch, got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Eren snuggled into the pillow, sighing in relief. Rolling his eyes, Levi walked towards the hallway, stopping just before he left the room when he heard his name. “Levi?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.” The boy's voice was muffled, but Levi could hear the barely-restrained emotion and genuine gratitude.

Flicking the light switch off, the room darkened, the only illumination coming from the streetlights through the window and the nearly muted TV. Levi found himself unable to respond to the two simple words with any amount of sarcasm. “Get some sleep, Eren. We'll talk in the morning.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). It's filled with SnK, DMMd, NSP/GG, fangirling and yaoi. Mostly NSFW. I regret nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soup, sci-fi, and shortie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four, yay! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting/giving kudos. Every time I see the read count go up I do a little fangirl squeal and dance. I love you all so much <3<3<3
> 
> This whole fic is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine. If anyone sees any grammar issues or typos, let me know and I'll fix them ASAP.

Eren sighed after he heard a door close at the end of the hallway. This had turned out to be an incredibly eventful day. First there was the night before when he hadn't slept, then the wandering around most of the day begging for money and food, then getting caught outside in the snowstorm and passing out in the alley, then waking up in a strange place with strange people. Granted, he would take a warm house and food with a stranger than freezing to death while starving any day, but it had been so long since he had been able to sleep comfortably with a full stomach that he was nearly brought to tears. He had managed to choke out his thanks to Levi, but would have to show the man how much he actually meant it before he was told to leave and never saw him again.

Mind made up that he would be the best damn house guest this guy ever had, Eren pulled the blankets tighter under his chin and let the soft noise from the TV drown out the sounds of the city. It had been nearly four months since he had had anything remotely resembling a bed, and this couch was insanely comfortable. Out of curiosity he swiped a button on the remote to bring up the guide. It was just after midnight, meaning he had been in this guy's apartment for at least eight hours since it got dark so early and the last thing he remembered before succumbing to the cold was that it was still light out. Despite the fact that he had been falling asleep sitting up just a few minutes ago, he suddenly felt wide awake.

Flipping over to Netflix, he scrolled through the recently watched list, somewhat impressed with what the man -Levi, he had to keep reminding himself- seemed to be into. Even though Eren wasn't exactly up-to-date on the latest and greatest shows, he still knew what he did and didn't like. Levi's tastes seemed to run a bit more artistic and intellectual than Eren's own, given the sheer amount of documentaries and indie flicks, but there were also several horror movies and a few sci-fi things. With a few more presses he put on a show he hadn't seen in a while and the familiar sounds of the theme song made him smile a little.

In his old life, Eren was a not-so-secret nerd. He enjoyed anime and sci-fi and fantasy shows over anything else but, as he watched Rose and the Doctor wander around London on their first adventure, he couldn't help but start welling up again. His childhood friend Armin was the one who had first introduced him to the show after having been exposed to it by his grandfather. He had hadn't spoken to any of them in almost a year, ever since being evicted and forced onto the street. Not Armin, the little blond bookworm. Not Mikasa, the adopted sister and self-appointed protector of Eren's stupid ass. Not Sasha or Connie or Marco or Annie or Bert or Reiner. Hell, he even kind of missed Jean, not that he would ever admit it to anyone, let alone that horse-faced bastard himself. He hated lying to any of them, but knowing the truth of his circumstances would kill them. Even Jean would probably feel bad and Eren would rather kill himself than have that asshole pitying him.

It wasn't all on his end, though, and he couldn't blame them for falling slowly out of contact either. Unlike him, the rest of the group had gone on to college after high school. Most were still in the same area though, so they no doubt got together when schedules allowed. But Eren, instead of taking anyone's advice, followed the recommendation of FranzAndHannah, a foreign exchange couple who were perpetually attached at the hip so much that they were literally never seen apart from each other. By the end of their year at Sina High, even the teachers referred to them as FranzAndHannah. It would have been cute if it wasn't so fucking weird.

But while everyone else was stressing out over what their future plans were and filling out stacks of college applications, Eren had no idea where he was going. Everyone else had dreams and goals and had been thinking about it for what seemed like years. Bert and Reiner got a full-ride scholarship to the state college for football. Armin, to exactly nobody's surprise, had gotten his own full-ride for academics. As a perpetual overachiever, he had applied for dozens of scholarships and grants, winning nearly all of them. He wouldn't have to lay a single cent out for eight years of pre-med and med school if he didn't want. Mikasa got a partial scholarship to the same school as Armin for soccer. Sasha and Connie went to a renowned culinary school. Annie had been torn between signing up for the military or following Bert and Reiner. Marco went after his dream of being a child psychologist, and Jean had said something about teaching.

He had to snort at that just like every other time when he thought of horse-face. That idiot trying to teach anything to anyone would be a failure of such massive proportions that Eren was actually kind of sad that he wasn't there to see him crash and burn. That said, as much as they enjoyed being dicks to each other, they certainly had each others back if something went down. More than once one of them had pissed off the wrong person and had only been saved by the other coming in to help kick some ass. They were the textbook definition of 'frenemies'. Still, he missed the horse more than he thought he ever would.

Regardless, Eren had taken the word of FranzAndHannah and moved to Mitras to work with one of their friends at a design firm. Unfortunately FranzAndHannah didn't tell the man that Eren was coming and the guy filled the position less than a week before he arrived in the city. What little money Eren had left was gone quickly, as Mitras was much more expensive than he anticipated. Soon enough, he couldn't afford to go home or keep a roof over his head. Lost in memories, he didn't realize he was no longer alone until a deep voice called his name.

“Eren.”

Jerking upright, he stared wildly around the room until he caught sight of Levi, the older man leaning against the wall near the hallway. Pressing a hand to his chest, he willed his heartbeat to slow and took a few deep breaths.

“Jumpy?”

Letting out a huffed laugh, Eren gave him a self-deprecating smile. “You just surprised me. I thought you had gone to bed. Oh, is the TV too loud? I'm sorry, I'll turn it off-”

“Calm down, brat, the TV is fine. I just couldn't sleep.” He looked at the TV and cocked his head. “Why does this look familiar?”

“It's Doctor Who.”

“Ah. Hanji's been on me to see this shit forever. Looks cheesy as fuck.”

Eren's jaw dropped. “It's not chees-” He cut himself off as Britney Spears' 'Toxic' started playing. “Okay, it can be cheesy in some parts, but it's well aware of how cheesy it is and that makes it amazing.”

“Can you eat again?”

Eren shrugged. “I could try, but it's okay.”

“Tch.” With a scoff, Levi retreated to the kitchen. The sounds of metal and porcelain clinking together filtered in as he made what Eren could only assume was another cup of broth. He restarted the series at the beginning of episode one and paused it, anticipating Levi staying with him and watching.

A few minutes later, the short man came back into the living room, carrying a tray. He set it on the coffee table and made sure to not sit on Eren's feet as he perched on the other end of the couch. Eren looked at the mass amount of stuff on the tray wondering what he was expected to do with it. At his confused look, Levi sighed.

“You need to take it easy for a while longer, so more soup for you. This is chicken noodle, so you get some protein and veggies. Then there's milk, orange juice, and water. The tea is mainly for me, but if you think you can handle it after your soup you're welcome to have some of that, as well.”

“Levi...” Eren was nearly moved to tears once more by the man's kindness. “I can't... You...”

Eyes widened slightly in surprise, Levi stared at Eren. “Are you going to cry over soup?”

“No? Yes? Maybe... I hope not.”

“Listen to me, kid.” He waited until Eren looked at him to continue. “I don't like repeating myself, so I'm only going to say this once. I may be a dick, but I'm not heartless. I'm not going to hurt you. I do want to help you. Believe it or not, I know what you're going through when you have no options and nowhere to go or anyone to turn to. But someone helped me when I needed it most and I'm going to help you like he helped me. I don't want anything from you. As long as you aren't going to rip my life apart and destroy everything I've worked for, you can stay until you get back on your feet.”

Eren's jaw hung open as he listened to Levi's words. “Thank you, but I can't-”

“Yes, you can and you will,” Levi said, cutting him off. “I told you that I wasn't going to keep you hostage, and I'm not. But you have to at least stay for the winter. If you go back out there before you're healthy and have nowhere to go, you _will_ end up dead. And contrary to popular belief, I do care when people die.”

“Levi...”

“I'm not asking you to make this decision right now, but I'm putting it out there so you can think about it. I do have some rules, though.” He paused and Eren realized he was waiting for a response. He nodded and then the older man continued. “Once you're healthy, you need to get a job. I can help you out with that, but I don't expect it to happen tomorrow. Second, I like things clean. I have high standards and expect them to be upheld, no exceptions. Thirdly, you are not to enter my room for any reason. That is my space and I will fuck you up if you go exploring in there. And, as I said before, if anything goes missing, I will find you and rip you apart. Any questions?”

“No, sir,” Eren said, shaking his head.

Rolling his eyes, Levi scoffed once more. “And don't call me sir. I'm not that much older than you.”

“How old are you?” Eren wanted to bite his tongue off at the look Levi gave him, but the feeling abated when he sighed and started pouring a cup of tea.

“I'm 30.”

“Huh.”

Eyes narrowed, Levi sipped his tea, holding the cup in a strange way and eyeing Eren over the rim. “What?”

“Nothing, I just thought you were younger than that. I mean, you're so shoooo...” Eren's voice trailed off as he took in Levi's expression. Clearing his throat, Eren picked up the mug of soup, pointedly not looking at Levi. “Attractive? I totally was saying attractive.” Eren could have punched himself in the face for saying that. Like saying he found him hot would earn him any more points than calling Levi short.

“Riiight.” Thankfully, Levi seemed willing to let it slide. “So are we going to watch this shitfest or stare at the pause screen all night?”

Eren hit the play button and settled back into the cushions. “Prepare for the awesome that is Doctor Who.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) and join me in flailing over fandoms. It's filled with SnK, DMMd, NSP/GG, and yaoi. Seriously, lots of NSFW stuff. As a friend recently said, my page is just a wall o' dick.
> 
> No remorse there ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning time is bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter with little plot and way too much dialogue. Yay!

Levi watched both the show and Eren. He had to admit that while the show was entertaining, Eren's reactions to it were even more so. It was clear that he had seen it several times as he mouthed some lines along with the characters. It definitely had the cheese factor but never tried to take itself too seriously, which mitigated it a bit.

Soon enough, he found himself drawn into it, the spell only breaking when Netflix asked if he was still watching. Before he hit the button on the remote, he turned to see if Eren was up for more. He wasn't surprised to see that the kid had fallen asleep. Levi turned off the TV and gathered the mostly empty cups. In the kitchen he was pleased to see that Eren had eaten all the soup and managed the majority of both the milk and the orange juice.

Levi rinsed the cups and kettle, then put them in the dishwasher. As he wiped the counters, he couldn't help but reflect on the conversation he had with Eren. He had no intention of saying all that he had to the boy, but the look on his face as he bit back tears was too much. All that emotion over some soup and a drink? The kid was just as low as Levi himself had been, but wasn't broken yet. In that he was already miles ahead of where Levi had been when Erwin had taken him in.

As he left the kitchen, he stopped by the couch once again. Eren had sprawled back out on the makeshift bed, the blanket half on the floor. Levi covered him back up, trying not to notice the tiny smile that crossed Eren's features as he snuggled into the warmth.

Retreating into his room, Levi closed the door behind him and stripped off the sleeveless shirt, leaving him only in loose pants. He had things to do in the morning and needed to at least attempt to get some sleep. Under the familiar weight of the comforter and with the sweet scent of detergent on his pillow, Levi closed his eyes. He was still a little bothered by the fact that some random homeless kid was staying in his living room, but it didn't irritate him as much as he thought it would at the beginning. A snippet of their talk came to mind and he sighed.

They both knew damn well that the kid was going to call him short. And it certainly said something that the kid was smart enough to realize his error before finishing the word. But to change it to attractive didn't speak too much for his intelligence seeing as the two words sounded nothing alike. That said, Levi was almost flattered by it. He knew he wasn't some cave-dwelling troll, but he was by no means the picture of beauty and masculinity. What convinced him that Eren meant the words at least a little bit was the faint flush on his cheeks as he spoke the word.

Eren wasn't too bad, either. Or at least he wouldn't be once he gained some weight and stopped looking like a skeleton. But as much as he would like to, Levi couldn't deny that his eyes were damn near otherworldly in their perfection. He had thought that they were beautiful when he was buried in the snow, but they were so green they nearly glowed when he was awake and lucid. His skin was clear and soft with only faint, barely visible lines to indicate any scars he may have gotten in the past. Levi was sure that when the brat got back to normal he would be stunning.

A familiar stirring started near his hips and Levi smacked those thoughts away. He wasn't going to do anything to the kid, even in his imagination. How fucked up would someone have to be to get off to the thought of a starving, hypothermic, homeless kid who he had agreed to mentor and help into a better life? Levi already had enough skeletons in his closet to start putting more in. Turning to his side, Levi curled around a pillow and focused on relaxing his muscles. Before he got halfway done, he was asleep.

Levi woke up to the alarm on his phone screeching at him. With a muttered curse, he swiped the screen and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Without any further ado, he got up and went into the bathroom. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the kid had taken his words to heart yesterday and cleaned up after himself. Everything was put away where it should be and, despite his worries, the ring in the tub wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought it would be.

After a scalding hot shower and the rest of his morning routine, Levi felt human again. Back in the living room, Eren was still passed out on the couch. He needed sleep, but he also needed to eat. Levi stood next to the couch and called his name. Eren only muttered and turned his head. Feeling slightly guilty about waking him up, Levi shook his shoulder gently.

“Wake up, Eren. You need to eat something.”

With a low groan of protest, Eren stretched and rubbed his eyes before opening them blearily and focusing on Levi. “What?”

“Get up. You need to eat and we need to figure some things out.”

Confident that the brat wasn't going to go back to sleep, Levi retreated into the kitchen and started a pot of oatmeal. A few moments later, Eren shuffled in, still yawning. He blinked under the harsh light of the kitchen and ruffled his hair with one hand. “Can I help?”

Levi looked over his shoulder from his position at the stove. “Cups are in that cupboard,” he pointed with a wooden spoon, “and drinks are in the fridge. It'll be done in a minute.”

He turned back to stirring the contents of the pot and heard the kid get his drink then sit at the counter. A moment later Levi had two bowls of oatmeal dished up. He put breakfast on the bar and sat next to the kid with his cup of tea. For several minutes they ate in a comfortable silence. Eren ate slowly, visibly savoring the heat and flavor of the simple food while Levi sipped his tea, occasionally taking a bite himself. Eren paused eating about halfway through to let the food settle before eating anymore, Levi noted with approval.

The kid looked at him and smiled nervously. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I get the whole not wanting someone to die thing, and don't think I don't appreciate it, but I just don't get it. Like you've said, I could be a thief or a drug addict or whatever and you just took me into your house.”

Levi studied the kid for a moment before answering. Eren was still wary around him, but that didn't bother Levi in the slightest. Even on his best days he would never be considered a warm and fuzzy person and this kid didn't know him for shit. Gently placing his cup down, he leaned back and crossed his legs. “Do you remember what I told you last night?”

“Partially. I was kind of half-asleep, to be honest.”

“Alright. Are you awake enough that you'll actually remember what I say this time?” Eren nodded hesitantly, enough for Levi to continue. “Listen up, then. I know what it's like to not have any options or anywhere to go. I was a few years younger than you, but someone took me in and helped me get my shit together. If he didn't, I know for a fact I wouldn't be sitting here right now. I'm not a nice guy, kid, and anyone who knows me knows that. But I'm not going to send you back out there when you're on the verge of dying. He helped me, so I'm going to help you. You can take the offer or you can leave, that's up to you, but just know that this is a one-time deal. You walk out that door, you aren't welcome back. I'm not running some halfway house for wayward brats.”

“Okay...”

Levi raised an eyebrow at the uncertain response. “What?”

“I'll stay, just... I don't know how I can ever repay you for saving my life.”

“Don't mention it. Just don't fuck my life up and we're good. Got it?”

“Yeah.” He looked like there was more he wanted to say, so Levi waited. A moment later, he spoke again. “This is a nice place. What do you do for a living?”

“I own a tattoo shop. I also do some freelance art.”

“Really? That's awesome. I like to draw, too.”

“Are you any good?”

The kid shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I do some pretty good stick figures.”

Despite himself, Levi snorted a tiny laugh. “If you can, I might be able to help you better with a job than I thought.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I told you I would help you, and I might be a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them.”

Eren's face dropped. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean-”

Levi waved it off. “I know you didn't mean anything by it.” He looked at the mostly empty bowl of oatmeal. “Are you done for now? Don't eat yourself sick.”

“Yes, thank you. Should I-” His words broke off in a yawn.

“No, I'll get it. You go lay back down.”

Without any protests, the kid went back to the couch and laid down, rolling up in the blanket until he resembled nothing more than a human-sized burrito. Levi rolled his eyes and went to clean up the remains of breakfast. After finishing that and brushing his teeth, he left a short note for the sleeping kid on the coffee table and locked the door behind him as he left.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I has [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). Dirty things, fandom, and fangirling galore.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren does a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day late on this and I apologize for that. I was laid up sick all weekend and couldn't write a word. But I've come out of my cold medicine induced haze, so here's a new part for you all. Something finally happens!
> 
> I love you all dearly for reading! Comments and kudos are love!

Eren woke up to an empty apartment. A piece of paper on the coffee table had his name written on it in an elegant hand.

_Eren-_

_Had to run some errands. Make yourself comfortable. Don't fuck my house up. If I'm not back, Hanji should be there around 3 PM. If you leave lock the door._

_-Levi_

Looking at the clock, he saw it was nearly two. Eren felt better now than he had in ages. For the first time in forever he wasn't hungry and was fully rested. He got up to use the restroom, passing the washer and dryer as he did. His ratty clothes were folded neatly on top, looking incredibly out of place in the nice apartment. Picking them up, he took them into the bathroom with him and ran the shower to heat up the water as he brushed his teeth. Steam filled the room with a tantalizing warmth as he stripped bare and stepped under the scalding spray.

He stood there for a long moment, not moving as the water beat against his back. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo off the shelf and poured out a generous amount, lathering his hair until it was nothing more than a pile of bubbles. The spicy scent smelled exactly like Levi and Eren inhaled deeply. When he used the body wash, another puff of scent nearly made him moan.

Levi was something of an enigma. Even though he kept insisting he wasn't a nice guy, his actions were proving otherwise. Sure, he had a rough demeanor and liked to curse, but that was no big deal. All that mattered to Eren was that he made sure to not piss the older man off so he would be back on the streets.

As Eren scrubbed himself with the Levi-scented soap, he couldn't help but think about the man. He would be lying to himself if he tried to deny that Levi was incredibly attractive. He was short, but height had never really bothered him in the men he was attracted to. He didn't even know much of anything about Levi past the fact that he was absolutely gorgeous and moved more gracefully than anyone he had ever seen. Bracing himself against the wall with one hand, he allowed his imagination free reign as the other hand ran down his torso.

In his mind's eye he could see Levi stalking towards him like a predator, gripping his hair and pulling him down to eye level. His lips would be soft, his tongue darting out to tangle with Eren's. Strong hands would push him onto the bed, nimbly strip off his clothes and his fingers would play Eren like an instrument, teasing and stroking and filling him perfectly. Levi would take charge, leaving Eren nothing more than a mindless puddle of ecstasy as he was stretched and ridden.

With a low moan, he let go and released against the wall. Angling the shower head to rinse away the evidence, he rinsed off the rest of his body before plopping down on the edge of the tub. Coming had literally made his knees weak, especially since he hadn't gotten off like that in a very long time. He had had sex, sure, but that was only for the occasional place to stay the night and he had never really enjoyed himself while doing it. Thankfully he knew he was clean, since he had gotten checked at one of the city's free clinics a couple months ago. Eren knew he was lucky and, even though he was more than willing, some part of him knew that Levi wouldn't ask for his kindness to be repaid in bed. When his legs were steady, he stood under the water once more and relished in the warmth.

Guilt washed over him as he realized that he had just gotten himself off to the man who had saved his life. Hell, he didn't even know if Levi was interested in men. He could easily get anyone he desired, so there was no way he would want anything to do with a homeless kid who used to whore himself out for a place to sleep. Brushing those thoughts aside, Eren dried off and redressed in his old shirt and jeans.

When he emerged from the bathroom he yelped in surprise. Levi stood next to the washing machine, arms crossed. The man looked him up and down before scoffing. “Here. Take this. Throw those rags away.”

A bag was thrust into Eren's arms and strong hands turned and pushed him back in the bathroom, the door slamming behind him. Blinking dumbly, Eren stared at the door for a moment. What the... When he looked in the bag, the haze broke and his jaw dropped. Several pairs of pants, a few shirts, a handful of socks and boxers and a hoodie were piled in. Following Levi's orders he changed into a new set of clothes, using the belt from his old pair of jeans to hold up the new ones. When he was done he admired himself in the mirror.

The clothes were a bit baggy on him, but that would change when he gained his weight back. The boxers and socks were a basic black, which was fine. The jeans were a dark wash and would fit impeccably. The shirt was black and had a grey and red skull design. The hoodie was a dark green, thick and soft. Nearly brought to tears again, he exited the bathroom and found Levi in the living room waiting.

Heedless of anything else, Eren stepped up to Levi and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Levi stiffened, but didn't push him away. “Thank you, Levi. Thank you so much.”

“Tch, brat.” He waited another moment before pushing Eren off of him. “Are you going to cry again?”

“Maybe?” Eren laughed and wiped under his eyes.

Levi rolled his in response. “Don't die now. Here.” Eren was handed a second bag and pulled out a black wool coat with a matching hat and gloves. Under the coat was a pair of boots. He tried it all on and everything fit perfectly.

Burying his face in his hands, Eren felt the tears escape. This was more than he had ever expected. Not only had this man saved his life and taken him off the streets, he had bought clothes for Eren, who had only had the same things since leaving home. Now when he was made to leave he wouldn't be cold or have to worry about holes in his shoes or frostbite on his fingers. He was well aware that he was bawling like a baby over a coat and shoes but couldn't make himself stop. When he looked back up, he could see through blurry eyes that Levi had made him more soup and had a cup of tea for himself. The older man watched him from the armchair as he put himself back together.

“Levi, I... I don't... Thank you.”

“Don't worry about it. It's just some clothes.”

“No, you don't understand.” Eren took off the coat and folded it neatly on the couch next to him. “There's no way I'm ever going to be able to repay you for all of this.”

Levi made an irritated noise. “What did I say about repeating myself? Don't worry about it.”

“In the past 24 hours you've done more for me than anyone has in the past two years. I can't just keep taking from you.”

“You aren't taking, I'm giving. Consider this as me paying it forward.”

Eren stood and slowly walked over to where Levi sat, only to kneel in front of him. “I don't know what you're expecting of me. Nobody does this kind of stuff out of the goodness of their heart.”

Never breaking eye contact, Levi sat his cup on the end table and leaned forward so he was only inches from Eren's face, scowling. “Someone did it for me, and I'm doing it for you. You got any complaints?”

He was so close. Minty breath ghosted across Eren's face and steely grey eyes bored into his green ones. Before he even consciously decided to do it, he leaned forward and closed those few inches between them. Levi's lips were even softer than he had imagined, even though they were frozen in surprise. Ignoring that, Eren moved against the older man, tasting the soft skin and a tiny hint of spice from the tea. Just when he was about to pull away, Levi returned the kiss.

If he thought Levi was delicious before, that was nothing compared to now. Their mouths moved together in an instinctual rhythm and Levi's hands came up to cup Eren's head, tilting it slightly for better access. Eren braced his own hands on Levi's thighs, raising up a bit to connect them further. When Levi licked the seam of his lips, Eren opened for him. Their tongues touched and Eren let out a small moan.

As if that was a signal, Levi pushed Eren away. It took a moment to shake the haze but when he did, he saw Levi looking at him like a piece of dirt. “What the hell was that for, you shitty brat?”

“What? Levi, I-” Eren fell backwards when Levi got up, the shorter man towering over him from his position sprawled on the floor.

“Is that what you think of me? That I'm just doing this for a piece of ass?”

“No! I-”

“Because if it is, you can just get the fuck out of my house right now. I said I would help you. I never said I was only going to do it if you were in my bed! I don't need some pity fuck.”

“Levi, I-”

“You know what? I'm done right now. Hanji will be down in a few minutes. I'm going to the store. Stay here or leave, I don't give a fuck. But this,” he waved a hand between their two bodies, “isn't going to happen. If I fuck someone it's going to be because they want me, not the things I can do for them.”

The sound of the door slamming echoed around the apartment like a gunshot. Eren stared at the empty space where Levi had been not a moment before in shock. What on Earth had just happened?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). Fangirling and yaoi galore!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren did a thing, and now regrets all of his life choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I originally uploaded this last night. Or tried to, at least. I guess in my half-asleep stupor I messed it up somehow. Regardless, here is chapter 7. Enjoy!
> 
> Comments and kudos give me life!

Before Eren could get another word in, Levi was out the door. Eren just sat there, wondering what exactly had gone so very wrong so very quickly. He didn't even have a chance to get off the floor by the time Hanji came in.

The woman's smile fell as she saw Eren. Dropping to her knees next to him, she pushed her glasses up on her forehead and studied him. “Are you okay? What happened? Are you sick again? Where's Levi?”

The last question released the floodgates and Eren burst into tears once again. Hanji gathered him into a hug, letting him get it all out. When he finally calmed enough to speak, he told her about the new clothes and what had happened between them. She sighed heavily and helped him up.

“Let me check you out and then I can tell you why he reacted like that.”

“What did I do wrong? I don't understand. Is he-”

“Nope. He won't kick you out for this,” she replied, easing one of his fears. “But no more answers until I look at you. On the couch.”

Seeing the implacable look on her face, Eren sighed and let her direct him, knowing he would get nothing out of her until she was ready. She poked and prodded him, taking his temperature and listening to his chest with a stethoscope. She asked him a myriad of questions about how he was sleeping and eating, telling him to take it easy for another day or two before moving on to more solid foods. When she was satisfied with his answers, she packed her things back up and sprawled out on the couch.

“Ugh, I'm exhausted. It was a long day.”

“Um, Hanji, can I ask you what happened now?”

“Oh, yeah.” She sat up and eyed him seriously. “If you haven't noticed, Levi is... well, he's got a difficult personality. He's really going out of his way to make you comfortable.”

Guilt swamped him. “I know that much. I feel bad about it.”

“Don't. If he didn't want to help, he wouldn't.”

“Then why...”

She sighed. “Has he told you anything about himself yet?”

“Not really. Just that someone took him in when he was in a bad place and he's helping me in the same way.”

“Well, I won't tell you too much more than that. It's his story to tell,” she said, holding up a hand when he started to protest. “But I can tell you why he reacted the way he did.”

“Please. I don't want to make him mad.”

Hanji laughed. “Oh, you will. He gets pissed easily. But the reason he acted like that earlier is because he's had people take advantage of him before. He doesn't put himself out there often, but when he does it has a tendency to bite him in the ass.”

“What do you mean?”

“Levi is... well, he has had people use him too many times. For his money, for his connections, for whatever reason. There aren't many people he feels he can truly trust because of it.”

Eren blinked. “But why-” He cut himself off as Levi's words struck him anew. _If I fuck someone it's going to be because they want me, not the things I can do for them._ “Oh.”

Seeing the realization on his face, Hanji nodded. “Exactly. Nothing makes him angrier than feeling like someone is only doing something for him out of pity or obligation. My guess is that he thinks that you only kissed him because you felt like you had to.”

“That's not true!”

“No? Then why did you do it?”

Blushing, Eren turned from her. She chuckled and his face heated even more. “Have you seen him? He's gorgeous.”

Hanji burst out in laughter. “Oh my god, you should see your face! Are you gay?”

“Yeah.”

“So you just did it because he's attractive?”

“No, I... yeah. But he's so nice and...” He dropped his head into his hands. “I don't know!”

She huffed another laugh before turning serious. “Listen to me, Eren. I believe you when you say you didn't do it out of obligation. But you have to look at it from his perspective.” She elaborated when he looked at her blankly. “He does these things for you with no expectation of getting anything in return. He opens his home to you, makes sure you recover well, makes sure that you have new things to wear. Immediately after he buys you these things, you kiss him. He's been used in the past for the things he can offer another person, so in his eyes you weren't kissing him because he's Levi, you were making a move on him because of these other things.”

“But I wasn't!”

“And I believe that, but Levi doesn't. And, honestly, your timing could have been better.”

Eren groaned, flopping back onto the couch. “He hates me now. I know it.”

Hanji petted his hair. “No, he doesn't. If he hated you, he'd have kicked you out right then.”

“He's too nice to do something like that.” The stroking stopped and Eren looked up to see Hanji staring at him with a strange expression. “What?”

“Are we even talking about the same person? Short guy, black hair, likes to curse and has enough attitude for ten people?”

Eren covered his face again, this time to cover his mouth as he laughed loudly. He guffawed so hard that he snorted, sending Hanji into gales of laughter as well. By the time he calmed down enough to breathe properly again, his sides ached.

“Oh, Eren,” Hanji breathed, wiping her eyes, “I haven't laughed like that in a long time.”

“Me neither. But yes, he is that nice in my eyes. I just don't want to mess things up or make him feel bad.”

“I know, honey.” She sighed and leaned next to Eren, their sides just touching. “So, anything else happen after I left?”

He started to say no, but then remembered something. “Oh, yeah. I got him to watch Doctor Who last night.”

“You did not!”

“Yep. I don't know how much he watched since I fell asleep, but at least the first episode.”

Arms wrapped around him and squeezed tightly. Hanji squealed as she snuggled Eren like a stuffed animal. “I can't believe it! I've been trying to get him to watch that forever! You've got some sort of magic, kid!”

Eren scoffed. “Magic enough to drive him out of his own house, maybe.”

“Stop it. You look adorable in those clothes, by the way.”

“Thanks.” He smiled and picked at the skull design. “This is actually something I'd have picked out myself. He even got the sizes right on everything.”

Eren found Hanji incredibly easy to talk to, even if she was a bit overenthusiastic about some things. When she asked about his schooling and he mentioned that he liked science better than languages, not that he was very good at either, she went off on a long tangent about her own schooling and what made her want to go into medicine. They ended up talking until Levi returned almost two hours later. He took one look at their positions on the couch and cursed, heading into the kitchen with some bags.

Hanji nudged Eren softly and he took the hint. “Do you want a hand with that, Levi?”

“I got it. You staying for dinner, four-eyes?”

“Nah.” She stood and stretched, back popping several times. “I promised Mo I'd make something before he got home.”

“Delivery, then?”

“I'm thinking Indian,” she laughed. Turning to Eren, she scooped him off the couch and squeezed him in a tight hug. “I'll be back tomorrow after my shift to check on you again, okay?”

“I'll be here.”

Leaning in, she whispered into his ear. “Remember what I said about him. And for the love of science, watch your timing, kid.”

With a wink, she dropped him back on the couch and bounced over to the kitchen, sticking her head in to say goodbye to Levi. With one last wave in Eren's direction, she exited the apartment, leaving the two men to themselves.

After a long moment Eren walked into the kitchen to see Levi putting some cans in a cupboard. He must have made a noise because the man turned to glance at him before returning to his task. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat,” Eren shrugged. “But I'm not actually hungry right now.”

“I'll put some soup on. Did Hanji say when you could handle more substantial stuff?”

“In the next day or two if I feel up to it.”

“Okay.”

An awkward silence descended and Eren fidgeted a bit. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage to speak. “Hey, Levi?”

He didn't turn around. “Hm?”

“Can I talk to you about earlier?”

Levi's entire body stiffened for a split second. If Eren hadn't been watching him so closely, he wouldn't have seen it. “What else is there to say?”

“A lot, actually. I didn't even get a word in before you left.”

He put the last few groceries away before turning to look at Eren, eyes cold. “So talk.”

Taking a deep breath, Eren looked directly in Levi's eyes, willing him to believe his words. “I'm sorry for what happened. I'm not sorry for kissing you, but I am for the timing of it. I never meant for you to think I was doing it out of obligation or to repay you for everything. Like you've said a few times, we don't know each other hardly at all, but I'd like to think that you wouldn't want me to earn my keep in bed.”

“Then why did you do it? It's the only reason you could have.”

“I'm gay, Levi. As in all of the homo. If that freaks you out, I completely understand and I'll take off if you want me to. But have you even looked at yourself in a mirror, like, ever?”

Levi eyed him intently, his gaze heavy. “So you're gay? So what. Are you looking for a sugar daddy or something? You like my looks and I buy you shit, is that it?”

Eren gaped at him, temper rising. It was like his words were going in one ear and out the other. “Jesus fuck, Levi! Are you even hearing what I'm saying? I'm saying I find you attractive and would be more than willing if you wanted to fuck but I wouldn't be doing it in return for sleeping on your couch! I fucked up the timing, kissing you when you just gave me all this shit, but you were being so nice and you were so close and you smelled so good I couldn't help it. I'm fucking human and I make mistakes. Even if it gets me kicked out I don't regret what I did. I do feel bad for making you feel bad, though.”

“Fine. Apology accepted.” Without another word Levi stalked past Eren and a moment later, the sound of his bedroom door closing echoed through the silent apartment. At a loss, he went to the couch and dug through his bag for the one thing that always made him feel better. Finally finding what he was looking for, he opened a sketchpad and a mostly finished pencil and got to work.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SnK, DMMd, and more at [my tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi SMASH!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too much to say about this, but enjoy some Levi angst!

Levi paced in his room, unsure of what to do. From his door to the bed, then back and forth, he walked the path over and over again, unable to tear his mind from Eren's words.

_I don't regret what I did. I do feel bad for making you feel bad, though._

Fuck.

That kid had only been in his apartment for a bit over 24 hours, most of that unconscious or asleep, and Levi was already wound in knots over the little shit. Something about Eren drew Levi in like a moth to a flame and he just knew that he would end up burnt.

When he went out while the kid was still drooling on his couch, it wasn't like he went to some store where they sold plain white t-shirts for $50 a pop, no. He went to the closest place that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The kid fucking cried over a coat and shoes. Who did that?

Eren, apparently. And then he kissed whoever made him cry like that.

“Tch. Fucking brat.”

Hanji had apparently given Eren some advice on how to handle Levi and his mercurial moods since Eren had explained his actions and only apologized for what he was sorry for. Levi was well aware that he wasn't an easy person to get along with and some part of him appreciated the woman explaining things to the kid. If he was being honest with himself, if Eren had apologized for kissing him in the first place, Levi would have told him to pack his shit and get out, regardless of anything he might have said about him staying through the winter. Not without his new clothes, though. He was an asshole, but he wasn't a total dick.

As much as he wanted to, Levi couldn't regret the kiss. Eren was ridiculously attractive even as malnourished as he was. When he had first leaned in to press his lips to Levi's he was frozen in surprise, but the soft feel of him moving against his mouth was too much to ignore. Levi had started to lose himself in the gentle touches, the pictures of Eren writhing beneath him that he had pushed away the night before rearing their head. Only when Eren moaned did Levi snap out of the haze and push him away.

Burying his face in both hands, Levi cursed himself. He had been harsh on the boy, sure, but he had had enough of being used for what he could offer. All he wanted was someone to see him for Levi, for the man that he was, instead of a successful business owner or Erwin's adopted heir.

And apparently the kid saw him, and not his money. Or so he said. Part of Levi couldn't help but think that although the teen's intentions were pure, the sheer amount of change he had provided was making his decisions biased. Regardless, that kiss was worth it. Even if the kid did yell and curse at him later, he couldn't bring himself to get upset over that. He did kind of deserve it. A little bit. Maybe.

He now knew that the kid was gay, obviously, but that didn't bother him in the slightest, being bi himself. His ex-wife could attest to that. As if the passing thought was some unspoken signal to the universe, his cell phone rang and when he looked at the display her name filled the screen.

Sitting on the edge of his bed with a loud groan, he swiped the screen. “Hello, Isabel.”

“Levi. You're doing well, I presume?”

He rolled his eyes. This fucking bullshit. “What do you want? You didn't call to make small talk so spit it out.”

She sighed irritably. “As amicable as always, I see.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“I need you to come sign off on the final sale of the house.”

“This shit was supposed to be done over six months ago.”

“Yes, well, there were some problems with the financing for the last couple and it's taken a while to find another buyer. You know how the market has been lately. It's just now starting to bounce back and-”

“Isabel, I don't give two shits about real estate. Tell me when and where and I'll sign your goddamned papers if it means I don't have to speak to you again.”

Silence reigned for a moment before she nearly growled at him. “See this? This is why-”

Levi wasn't in the best mood after the mess with Eren, and now his ex-wife was bitching at him. Anger bubbling over, he stood up and pointed a finger as if she was in front of him. “Don't you do it. Don't you even fucking dare say what I think you're about to say or I swear to god I will never sign off on a single goddamned thing again so you don't get your fucking money. That house can fucking rot for all I care.”

“Levi! How can you-”

“How can I? HOW CAN I? I can do whatever the fuck I want with shit that belongs to me! The only fucking reason I even agreed to split the sale money with you was to get you the fuck out of my life as soon as I fucking could!”

“We bought that house together!”

“What kind of drugs are you on? If by together you mean _I_ bought it with the money _I_ earned and put it in _my_ name while _you_ were off fucking everything with a dick while _I_ was working my ass off to pay for it, then yes. _We_ bought the house. And _we_ can fucking let it crumble.”

“Levi! You can't-”

“I most certainly can and will.”

“You're being unreasonable. I'll call you some other time when you can talk like a rational person.”

At her placating tone his entire body stiffened. Voice level and icy, he stared at nothing as he spoke. “Isabel, if you ever call me again I swear to god I will burn that fucking house to ashes. If you have anything to say to me ever again it had better be through the fucking lawyers.”

He could hear her swift inhale at the change in his voice. She knew exactly what it meant when he went calm like that. “Levi, I-”

“No. No. I'm done. I'm done with you, I'm done with you still trying to bleed me dry after over a year. I'm done with your excuses. I'm done with you blaming me for your fuck-ups. I'm. Done.” Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.

Fists clenching until he could feel his nails start to break the skin, Levi breathed heavily. With a loud yell, he threw the phone across the room, watching dispassionately as it shattered into a thousand pieces when it hit the edge of the dresser.

Slumping back down onto his bed, he buried his face in his hands. That woman still got to him. They hadn't lived together in almost two years, had been divorced for close to a year and a half, and she still got to him like this. A timid knock sounded and he sighed, not even bothering to look up.

“What.”

The door cracked open and Levi looked up at the worried voice. “I.. uh... Are you okay? I heard a bunch of yelling and this big crash...”

Eren looked about ready to bolt and Levi couldn't blame him. He was a scary motherfucker when he was genuinely pissed off. Seeing those vibrant green eyes worried and unsure gave him a reality check, though, and he took a deep breath, trying to school his features into something a little less menacing.

“I'm fine.” The kid looked like he wanted to ask questions, but thankfully he held his tongue.

“Okay... well, um... I was going to make some dinner. What would you like?”

“Hanji said soup today.”

He smiled shyly. “Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't make you something. I mean, you shouldn't be forced to live on soup and oatmeal just because I am.”

Levi blinked at the boy, mind still coming down from his fit of rage. The painfully earnest expression contrasted with his memories of Isabel just enough to snap him out of his haze before he yelled at the boy, misplacing his anger. Heaving one last sigh, he stood up and eyed the pile of plastic formerly known as his phone.

“Did you start making anything yet?”

“No, I was waiting to see what you wanted first.”

Decision made, he started picking up the pieces. “Would you get me a baggie for this? I need to get a new one.”

A moment later Eren was back, holding open the sandwich bag so Levi could dump the bits of plastic in. When the mess was cleaned up, Levi made a mental note to vacuum the area later to pick up any pieces he may have missed. Finally looking at Eren again, he watched as he zipped up the bag and held it out. “Feel like going out for dinner?”

“Um, sure, I guess. I mean, you don't have to, I'm fine with the stuff here.”

“Tch.” He elaborated a bit since the boy still didn't trust him fully. “Let me put it this way. I'm going out to get a new phone and eat something. Are you coming with me or staying here?”

Eren smiled softly and Levi had to admire the way it made his eyes sparkle. “As long as we go somewhere with stuff I can eat, I'm in.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want more SnK? How about DMMd, NSP/GG, and random yaoi? Come visit me on [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). NSFW fun for all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren makes a deal. As usual, regret follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, life happened and it wasn't conducive to writing. In apology, this chapter is a bit longer than usual. So much dialogue, though. These guys just won't shut up.
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos are love! Enjoy, lovelies.

Eren walked beside Levi as they made their way through the chilly streets to the phone store. He was bundled up in his new hoodie under the new coat, new hat pulled over his ears, new scarf wrapped around his neck, new gloves warming the fingers tucked into his pockets. Even his feet were warm with two pairs of new socks and the new waterproof boots. He felt like a different person as he walked beside the man he was beginning to worship as a deity come to earth to save his stupid ass.

Levi slowed as they passed an alley and Eren looked at him questioningly. Levi pointed at a particular spot. “That's where I found you.”

Eren shivered despite the warmth that wrapped him up. He was incredibly lucky that Levi had noticed him or else his frozen corpse would be there, buried under a thick layer of snow. Something occurred to him and he stared at the shorter man. “Wait, if you found me here how did I get to your place?”

“I carried you.” He started walking again, Eren gaping after him.

Running to catch up, Eren paced Levi, not taking his eyes from the man's face. “You carried me? It's like ten whole blocks to your place!”

Grey eyes looked at him like he was an idiot. “Four, actually. And?”

“I know I'm skinny, but how strong are you? Jesus...”

“I prefer Levi, brat.”'

His voice was so flat it took a moment for the joke to sink in and Eren laughed. Unable to stop himself, he threw an arm around Levi's shoulders. “You seriously need to let me in on your routine. That's crazy.” Levi slipped out from Eren's grasp and shook his head. Eren let it slide since the man didn't seem too fond of casual touching.

“When you get healthier.”

“What do you mean? Like when I gain weight?”

Levi scoffed, a puff of fog escaping him. “When I stop being able to play the xylophone on your ribs would be a good start. But ask Hanji when she checks on you tomorrow.”

They came up on a little convenience store and Levi walked in, Eren following. Levi stepped up to the counter, looking at Eren when he tapped his shoulder. “Mind if I get a hot chocolate?”

“If you think you can handle it, go for it.”

Eren retreated to the rear of the store and got his drink, relishing the steam that came off it. When he returned to the front, Levi was just putting his wallet back in his messenger bag. “Ready?” At Eren's nod he walked out, Eren thanking the man behind the register as he left.

He nearly ran straight into Levi, who had stopped in the tiny windbreak that the doorway provided to light a cigarette. He took a deep drag and sighed, the smoke mixing with the steam from his breath.

“I didn't realize you smoked.”

Levi arched an eyebrow as they started walking again. “Only when I'm really fucking stressed out.”

Eren felt his guts sink at the words. “Is this about earlier? Because I-”

“Newsflash kid, you aren't the sun.” At Eren's confused face, he went on. “The world doesn't revolve around you.”

“I know that! I just-”

Sighing, Levi took another puff. “All that yelling you heard? It was because of my ex-wife.” Eren's mouth snapped shut on anything else he had to say, waiting for Levi to continue. “We've been apart for about two years now, but she's still trying to drain me. Fucking vampire bitch.”

“Can I ask what happened?”

Eren didn't really expect an answer, to be honest. Levi seemed to be someone who kept things to himself. He was floored that Levi had been married, though. That just proved how little he actually knew about the man, but he was going to remedy that as much as possible. With any bits of information that man dropped Eren was going to put him together, figure him out like Armin used to with his damned thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles. His attention snapped back to Levi when he started talking again.

“We had a house that's been on the market a while. In the divorce I agreed to split the money from the sale with her and she called to talk about it. Of course it devolved into her blaming me for her being a gold-digging whore.”

“Oh.” Eren sipped his cocoa, unable to think of anything to say. He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but didn't want to push the limits of this newly established camaraderie.

Levi finished his smoke and tossed the butt into the gutter. “Tell me a little bit about yourself, brat.”

The subject change couldn't have been more obvious, and Eren let it drop. “Oh, um... there really isn't too much to tell. I was born and raised in Shingansina -that's a suburb a little ways outside of Trost- and moved out here after high school and got screwed over by someone I trusted. I didn't have the money to get home, so I did what I could until I ended up on the streets. Lived there for a year and then you found me.”

Of course there was more to it, a lot more, but nothing he felt very comfortable sharing right now. Then again, Levi had let a few things come out about his life, so Eren felt the need to return the favor. Taking a sip of his drink to cover the silence, he swallowed and spoke again.

“I mentioned I left my house the second I turned 18, right? I mean that in the most literal sense. I had my bags packed and walked out the door at 12:01 AM on my birthday. My mom died in a car accident when I was eleven, and my dad was an absentee piece of shit. When he did bother to show up he was always drunk and liked to blame me for my mom dying. Let's just say I 'fell down the stairs' a lot in middle school.”

Brow furrowed, Levi looked up at him. “Why would he blame you if it was a car accident?”

“She was picking me up from basketball practice. Some jackass thought it would be a good idea to get hammered and drive at 6PM on a random Tuesday. I wasn't in the car but I saw it happen. She was that close to making it.” Eren had come to terms with what had happened long ago. It still hurt to think about, but it was done and nothing could change it.

There was a moment of silence before Levi spoke. “It's cliché, but I'm sorry.”

“Thanks, but it was a long time ago. Most importantly, I haven't seen or heard from my dad since I left the house, so that's good, I guess.”

“Do you miss anyone back home?”

Eren's breath caught at the question. He tried not to think about his friends too often. “I... yes. My friends Armin and Mikasa, mostly. We've been pretty much joined at the hip since kindergarten. They're more my brother and sister than anything else.”

Levi had a strange tone in his voice when he replied. “That doesn't happen often. Do you still talk to them?”

Eren sipped his cocoa again, breathing in the comforting warmth. “Not since I got evicted last November.”

“Why? I'm sure they would have gotten you back home if you asked for their help.”

“I know they would have. That's the problem.” Levi looked at him in question so he kept going. “Mikasa is a few months older than me, so she's crazy overprotective of me. Like, for example, if she knew I was staying with you, she'd probably hire a PI to check you out and get a background check so thorough she'd know if you cheated on a test in fourth grade. Then she would come here, go all karate and hellfire on you, then drag me back home.”

Levi raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You're exaggerating.”

“Maybe a little, but I swear I could easily see her doing even more than that. Armin, though, he's a genius. He's my age but he could probably give Hanji a run for her money when it comes to that. He always kept me and 'Kasa grounded. She has... well, I love her like my sister, but her attitude can be colder than yours. No offense, just giving a frame of reference.”

Scoffing, Levi paused to light another cigarette, using Eren for a shield against the wind this time. He took a drag before exhaling through his nose. “I still don't see why you didn't let them know. Sounds like they would have sent in the fucking Navy SEALS or some shit to get you.”

“Exactly. Armin doesn't have much. His grandpa is really sick and most of their money goes to his medical bills. If he wasn't smart enough to get a full ride to school he wouldn't have been able to go at all. And Mikasa would literally drop everything in her life to come save me like a knight in shining armor. She only has a partial scholarship for soccer, so she has to keep her grades pretty high to keep it, not to mention attend every single soccer event unless she's in a coma or something.”

Eren tipped his cup back to get the dregs of his cocoa, surprised with himself that he had finished it all. He tossed it in a trash can as they passed and dug his hands back into his pockets. “All my friends have these great plans and futures that are looking up. All I had was a promise from a foreign exchange student that turned out to be nothing at all. I'm not going to let any of them get screwed over because I'm a dumbass.”

“That's... actually kind of admirable. Stupid as fuck, but admirable.”

He looked at Levi and frowned slightly. “If it's admirable, how is it stupid?”

Levi's eye roll was dramatic and if it hadn't been such a serious discussion, Eren would have laughed. “Because you almost died, you idiot. Would have if I hadn't found you. I think that if you said all this to them they might have found another way to get you back. From what I'm hearing those are just excuses to keep them from finding out you fucked up. Bus tickets are only a couple hundred dollars. You keep saying 'everyone', so I'm assuming you have a pretty large group of friends back home, right? If they all chipped in $20 or so you'd have been home a long time ago with money to spare.”

Eren didn't want to admit it, but Levi was right. Everyone would have pooled their resources to get him home, just like they would have done for anyone else in the group. Hell, Eren would have gladly put up money even if Jean was in dire straits. It was his pride that got him in this situation.

The realization hurt more than he could have anticipated. He had taken FranzAndHannah's suggestion on a whim because he was at a loss for what to do with his life. Everyone else seemed to be leaving him behind. They had plans and goals and he had just fucked around until it was too late. It had been so long it wouldn't surprise him if they all thought he was dead by now. He just up and disappeared last year. The last time he talked to anyone was the day before his phone service was shut off for non-payment. He had wished Armin and Mikasa a happy Thanksgiving, asking them to tell everyone else when they saw them. For all they knew he had dropped off the face of the Earth.

“Listen, Eren.” His attention snapped back to Levi, grey eyes seeming to understand what he was thinking. “I'll make you a deal. You get a hold of your friends and tell them you aren't dead and that you're getting your shit together, and if you want, and if I like your art, I'll take you as an apprentice.”

“Are you serious?”

Levi looked at him flatly. “Do I look like I'm joking?”

Eren had no idea how to put his thoughts into words. He gaped silently at Levi, mouth hanging open unattractively. Seeing that Eren wasn't about to snap out of it anytime soon, Levi smirked. “I'll just take that as a yes.”

He walked past Eren for the second time that day, this time into the phone store. Eren followed him in, remembering to shut his mouth. He messed around with the model phones as Levi talked to the cashier. The poor woman had to try and retrieve stuff off of the busted-beyond-belief phone. As she hooked up a few wires to the remains, Levi came over and picked up one of the largest phones Eren had ever seen.

He scoffed. “Why would anyone want a phone this big? It doesn't fit in your pocket. It would be like talking on a tablet.”

“Apps and stuff, I guess.” Eren motioned with his head towards the counter. “Is she going to be able to save anything off of there?”

“The ports weren't broken and she says it doesn't look like the drive is too damaged. I just want the contacts and pictures. I don't care about anything else on there.”

“Is it going to cost a lot to replace?”

“Nah, I was due for an upgrade anyway.” He scanned the row of display models. “Which one do you think is best?”

Eren sighed. He didn't know too much about phones. All he knew was the more memory the better. And he had no clue about whatever a megapixel was, but the more there were the better the camera. He looked at the information cards and settled on the one he was looking at to begin with. If Levi hadn't complained about the size, he would have picked the big one, but this seemed to be the next best. “This one, probably. It has a lot of memory and a good camera, since you want your pictures. And look, it's a 'rugged' model. If you drop it it isn't supposed to break.”

He couldn't help but smile at the last bit and Levi scoffed, but picked it up. “Looks good.” He left Eren to the displays and returned to the counter, speaking to the woman.

She smiled and touched her hair. Eren rolled his eyes at her obvious flirtation. He couldn't blame her in the slightest, though. Levi was a fine specimen of a male. After another ten or fifteen minutes, she bagged up his purchase as he handed over a credit card. A moment later they exited the store and kept going. About two blocks away Levi went into a recessed door.

Eren followed and was pleasantly surprised to see they had entered an old-fashioned Italian restaurant. The hostess seated them immediately and Eren sat across from Levi in a booth. They stripped off their outerwear, Eren leaving on his hoodie, but unzipping it.

“This place is great. It's real Italian, not that Olive Garden shit.”

“Cool.” Eren looked at the menu and was happy to see that they had a large soup selection, so he immediately decided on the unlimited soup and breadsticks. If he soaked the bread in the soup not only would it taste delicious, it wouldn't hurt his stomach either.

Levi settled on a big plate of pasta and when the waitress came to their table they ordered, Eren getting a water and Levi a glass of wine. “Have you thought about what I said earlier?”

“The deal, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“Of course! I love to draw and tattoos are awesome, so I love it.”

He raised a finger. “That's _if_ I like your style, remember.”

“I know. It's just an exciting thought.”

“And are you going to hold up your end?”

The waitress came back with their drinks and Eren waited until she was gone to answer him. “Honestly? I'm really nervous. Like, thinking about it is making me not want to eat.” He continued when Levi gave him a look. “I know, I know. I'm going to eat and I'm not going to make myself sick over it, but I'm really worried about how they're going to react. Especially Mikasa. She's going to want to hug me and then brutally murder me for making her worry.”

“You made your bed...”

“Yeah. I did.”

Levi took out his new phone and started messing with it, then looked up at Eren. “Here.” He pushed a box across the table and Eren's jaw dropped.

“You bought me a phone?”

He raised one eyebrow. “How else are you going to keep in touch with your friends?”

Eren took the box, seeing that it was the phone he had picked out. He didn't bother opening it since it would need charged and he didn't have anything to put in it right now anyway. At Levi's questioning look he explained. The man nodded and took the box back, stowing it back in the bag.

Something seemed to occur to Levi and he gave Eren another look. “Don't use all my data. Texts and minutes are unlimited. And if you kiss me again...”

Eren had the grace to blush at that. “Don't worry. If I kiss you again it will be because you wanted it.”

“Not in repayment.”

“Definitely not. You should see me when I'm healthy. You won't be able resist me. I'm suave as hell.”

Levi nearly snorted into his wineglass. “We'll see about that, brat.”

Two hours later Eren sat on the couch, a mindless reality show playing in the background as he stared at his new phone. Levi was perched in the armchair, a cigarette in one hand, Eren's sketchbook in the other. Other than a slight lift to his eyebrows on the first couple pages, he had no reaction to anything else.

Scrolling through his contacts, Eren considered who he should call. It was late enough that everyone should be out of their classes, but not so late that he would be keeping them from going to bed. He wanted to call Mikasa first since he knew she worried the most, but he also knew that she would take it the worst. Armin would probably cry. Connie and Sasha were loudmouths and would immediately tell everyone in the city. Bert, Reiner, or Annie would be good, but it just didn't feel right to tell them first. Historia would hear him out, but Ymir would be right there, listening to every word he spoke whether or not he was put on speaker. Marco would probably be the best bet, but Jean would be there and there was no way he would let horse-face know he was fine before anyone else.

Pushing down the urge to vomit, he pressed the name on the screen. The phone rang once, twice, three times. On the fourth, a familiar voice picked up. “Hello?”

Eren squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Armin?” The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. For a long moment nothing could be heard and he even checked to make sure the call was still connected.

“Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it's me.”

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHY HAVEN'T YOU LET US KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE? FOR FUCK'S SAKE, EREN, WE ALL THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”

Eren pulled the phone away from his ear when Armin started yelling. Levi looked up at the stream of words, shook his head slightly, and went back to the sketchbook. Eren could hear his friend's voice waver as he cursed and felt worse than ever.

“I'm so sorry, Armin. It's a long story.”

“You obviously have a phone, so you better be able to Skype. I'm hanging up and calling everyone. You had better be ready when I message you because you are going to tell us everything. Everything, do you understand?”

“Yeah. I get it.”

“Ten minutes.” The call disconnected and Eren stared at the screen. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people in not a lot of time.

“You can use my laptop.” He looked up at Levi's voice. The man put out his smoke and laid the sketchbook on the coffee table. “Don't fuck anything up on there.”

“I won't. Just for this call, I promise.”

Levi grunted in response and left the room, coming back a moment later with a sleek black computer. He turned it on and signed out of Skype, allowing Eren to put in his name and password. Unable to sit still as he waited, Eren went to the kitchen for a bottle of water and paced for a bit. When the incoming call tone chimed, he froze.

“Do I look okay?”

Levi raised one eyebrow. “You don't look half bad for almost dying.”

Unable to respond, Eren just nodded and sat down in front of the screen. Finger hovering over the button to connect, he took a deep breath and pressed. The screen flickered slightly as his friend's faces popped up, one after the other. Their expressions ranged from crying (Armin and Marco) to shocked (Connie and Sasha) to pissed off (Jean and Mikasa). When he realized they weren't going to say anything, he gave a pathetic little wave and a watery smile.

“Hi, guys.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I has [tumbles](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). Very yaoi, many smex, such NSFW.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi makes a new ~~friend~~ ~~enemy~~ archnemesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another longer chapter because you guys have been so awesome and patient with my irregular updates. I love you all so very much. <3<3<3

Levi only looked at the sketchbook halfheartedly. The rest of his attention was on the video call taking place in front of him. Even though he knew there was going to be a lot of shouting, the sheer volume of it was insane. Every one of Eren's friends had to get their questions out and all of them wanted answers right now. He listened intently as Eren poured out everything that had happened to him since he left home. Several times someone started to ask a question as he spoke, but he just asked them to wait until the end, then he would answer any questions they had.

When he got to the part about Levi helping him, he looked at the man for permission to include him. He just shrugged. “Go for it.”

Not even pretending to look at the drawings anymore, Levi watched as Eren explained his near-death experience and how Levi had saved his life. When he was done, there was silence for a moment until a rough voice spoke.

“You are a fucking asshole, Eren Jaeger. I always knew it, but this is ridiculous. Why in the fuck didn't you let us know you were having trouble? Bus tickets are only a couple hundred bucks. We might be broke-ass college students but fuck you if you think we wouldn't have all chipped in to get your ass back here. I don't even fucking like you and I would have helped.”

“Jean, come on...”

“No, Marco! He's done some stupid bullshit before but this is fucking insane. Was it that easy to drop us? Did you not even care that we thought you were fucking dead? Do you know what the fuck you put everyone through?”

Eren was crying at this point and Levi bit back the urge to say something comforting. Seeing those eyes red and weeping was a crime against nature, but Eren had to do this. He had to realize how bad he had fucked up and how many people he hurt because of it. Even the guy who said he didn't like him had a choked sound to his voice.

“Eren, where are you right now?” This time a female voice spoke, low and controlled.

“At his apartment. He's letting me borrow his laptop for this.”

“Give me the address. I'll be there as soon as possible to bring you home.” Ah, that must be Mikasa. “You don't know if you can trust this guy. He could be some rapist or murderer of something.” Okay, now Levi was getting offended. He didn't have to save the kid's life. He didn't have to let him stay here. He could have just called an ambulance and been done, but no. He invited this person into his house and decided to help him.

“That's too much, Mikasa! I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be. I was an asshole and basically told all of you to fuck off. But you don't get to say anything about him. He saved my life. If he wanted to hurt me he would have just left me to die, not called a doctor and offered to help me get my shit straightened out. So be mad at me all you want. I deserve it. He doesn't.”

Levi blinked at Eren's words. He hadn't expected such a vehement defense on his behalf. Not that he gave a shit what they thought of him either way, but it was nice to hear Eren shut them down.

“What are your plans now?” Another female, this one high pitched but not squeaky.

Eren made eye contact with Levi again, the unspoken question evident in his eyes. Sighing, Levi closed the sketchbook. “Fine. But it's going to be a lot of work. I have high standards.”

Eren beamed. “He's taking me on as an apprentice tattoo artist.”

“Was that him talking? Is he there?” The same voice from the phone, Armin.

“I want to meet this guy.” Mikasa.

A chorus of agreement sounded and Eren frowned. “I don't know if-”

“Nobody does anything for free. I want to know what he's getting out of this.” Mikasa again, surprise surprise.

Another female spoke up, the timbre of her voice higher than Mikasa's but not by much. “You do know she's going to go out there and search until she finds you if you don't at least ask, right?”

Without waiting for Eren to look at him, Levi moved to the couch and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him so they could both be seen in the webcam. He raised an eyebrow at the sheer number of people in the conversation. There was no reason for the kid to have stayed here. If each person had put in $20 bucks he would have probably had enough to go there and come back again. Ignoring the faces scrutinizing him, he looked at Eren. “You're an even bigger idiot than I thought.”

“I know.” His cheeks flushed as he ran a hand through his hair. Thank goodness he had stopped crying. His eyes were still puffy, but that would go away in a little while. “Guys, this is Levi. Levi, this is Armin, Mikasa, Annie, Ymir and Historia, Bertholdt, Sasha and Connie, Reiner, and Marco and Jean.” Eren pointed to each face on the screen as he said their name. Only Historia, Bertholdt and Marco said hello. Armin and Sasha waved slightly, but the rest just studied him.

“You've seen me. Can I go now?”

“Why? What are you doing this late at night?”

Levi focused his gaze on the square with the Asian girl who had spoken. “I don't see how my activities are any of your business.”

“You have Eren. Until you let him go-”

“I don't _have_ anything. He's free to leave if he wants to. I don't make a habit of saving people's lives just to hold them hostage.”

“Don't lie to me. You obviously want something from him, so spit it out and let him walk out the door.”

Eren leaned into the screen. “Stop it, Mikasa! I can leave whenever I want, but I don't want to.”

Levi nudged Eren aside to speak again. “I don't give a rat's ass what you think of me. I don't answer to some college brat with a bitchy attitude. Instead of giving me shit you should be down on your knees thanking me since I saved his life. He's old enough to make his own decisions and you should respect that.”

“He's been living on the streets for a year! That means-”

“What that means is that he has seen more shit this past year than you could ever imagine.”

“You don't fucking know me.”

“And you don't fucking know me, either. So don't you fucking dare come at me like this when all I'm doing is helping your friend get his shit together so he doesn't feel like he's dragging you down. You need a fucking reality check, little girl, and if you even _think_ of knocking on my door you best be prepared for what you're going to get because you will not fucking like it.”

Every pair of eyes on the monitor widened as Levi argued with Mikasa. Several jaws dropped the longer it went on, their gazes bouncing back on forth between what Levi could only assume were their pictures on each respective screen. Jean whispered something to Marco, who nodded in astonishment. Bertholdt had visible beads of sweat on his face and Historia looked like she wanted to cry.

Mikasa curled her lip, growling her words. “Is that a threat?”

“No, I don't do threats. It's a promise. I don't care who you are or what you are to him. If you come onto my property I will make you regret it. Like I said, he's an adult and can make his own decisions. I think it's about time you learned that.” Levi turned to Eren. “Any other _misconceptions_ I should clear up?”

He shook his head, unable to look at the older man. “Fine. I'm out of here.”

Levi stood, stopping when Mikasa's voice rang out of the speaker. “Hey, I'm not done talking to you!”

He leaned down and allowed a wide smirk to settle on his face. “Lesson number one of being an adult: Pull up your big girl panties and deal with it. You don't always get the last word.”

Levi went to the kitchen to make a cup of chamomile tea. He needed it to help calm him down. That Mikasa bitch pushed all the wrong buttons. She had better not come out here or he was going to show her what it meant to fuck with him. There was no way he was going to sit there meekly and take all the shit she threw at him. He now believed every word Eren had said about her and her overwhelming overprotective nature. Even now he could hear her demanding he get his shit together and leave.

“No! 'Kasa, you know I love you, but let it go. I'm staying here and that's final.”

“It isn't safe! Who knows what he actually wants with you? I don't trust him.”

“Well, I do. I'm sorry you don't like him but he's been nothing but kind to me when he could have just as easily written me off as someone else's problem.”

“I'm coming to Mitras tomorrow. Have your shit packed and ready to leave that old pervert's place.”

Eyes narrowing as she continued her tirade against him, Levi dunked the teabag in a cup of steaming water and went back into the living room, drawing Eren's attention. He sat in the armchair once more and crossed his legs, listening to her vitriolic rant.

“He's got to be at least twice your age! What on earth does he want with you anyway? You have to be smart enough to know that when he says 'apprentice' he really means servant or something like that!”

Eren's jaw clenched tighter and tighter as she kept going. Several of the others noticed and tried to talk over her to calm her down, but she ignored everyone. Finally, Eren had had enough. “Mikasa. I am walking away from this screen right now before I say some things I'll regret later. I'm not hanging up. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Without waiting for her response he stood and walked away from the laptop. She called his name a few times but when he didn't come back, the conversation fell silent. Levi could practically hear them straining for any indication of what was happening in the apartment.

Never would they have thought that Eren had come over to Levi and knelt next to him, whispering his words so they couldn't hear. “Can I... just for a minute...”

He found himself nodding, not sure of what Eren wanted to do but unable to help himself. With a deep breath, he laid his forehead on Levi's thigh, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Levi froze, unsure of what he was supposed to do in this situation. He settled on laying a hand on the back of the brunet's head, petting his soft hair.

“I'm so sorry. I didn't realize she would say all those things and I should have. I'll never be able to repay you for everything and-”

Using the same low whisper, Levi cut him off. “I told you, brat, you don't need to repay me. But you have to know I don't put up with people flinging accusations at me. I'm not blaming you, but you need to be warned that it will not go well if she does show up unannounced.”

He nodded, forehead never raising. “I know. I haven't seen her this upset in a long time. She's just worried about me.”

“You're an adult, Eren. There's a difference between watching out for someone and stifling them. It's a fine line, but it's there.”

He nodded again, maintaining his position for another moment before rising to his feet. He mouthed a thank you and returned to the couch. Silence reigned for another moment before one of the boys spoke. “Has he done anything to make you uncomfortable?”

“Not in the slightest. He's actually gone way out of his way to make things easier for me.”

A different male. “You remember those boxing lessons, right?”

Eren huffed a laugh. “Don't worry, Reiner. I remember.”

A female. “Are you eating well?”

“I'm still taking it easy for the next couple of days so I don't get sick, but the doctor cleared me to eat more hearty stuff after that.”

A bunch more questions were asked about how he was doing and to elaborate on the story he had told them earlier. Eren eventually turned it around so he was the one asking questions, getting updates on how all of his friends were doing. Mikasa stayed curiously silent throughout the entire exchange, not that Levi was complaining. He was sick of hearing her voice.

About twenty minutes later Levi had finished his tea and had just gotten up to get himself another cup when there was a knock. Hanji flounced in when Levi opened the door and practically threw herself into Eren. “I brought you some rice! If you can keep this down I'll give you the go ahead to eat real stuff tomorrow.”

She thrust the container and a plastic fork at him before noticing the Skype call she had interrupted. “Ooh, are these your friends? Hi, Eren's friends!”

Eren rolled his eyes and ran through the introductions again. “Nice to meet you all. Sorry for interrupting but I just wanted to give him something a little more solid than the soup and oatmeal.”

“Hanji! I didn't go into details like that!”

“Oh, please. You told them what happened, right? I'm sure they aren't stupid. Now eat your rice.”

Levi watched from the kitchen as Hanji nearly force fed Eren. A tiny smile showed his amusement and he decided to save the boy before he choked. “Hanji, you do realize we ate just a little while ago? He had breadsticks. If you make him puke I'm going to make you clean it up.”

“But rice is easy on injured stomachs!”

“Not if they're being stuffed to bursting with it after eating a full meal.”

Hanji finally looked at Eren's face as he swallowed some water, trying to force the rice down. “Oh my god, Eren! I'm so sorry! I just got so excited about finding something substantial for you that I didn't even think about you having eaten before!”

Eren waved it off. “It's fine, honestly. I'll just save this for later, then.” He closed the container and pushed it to the side, only then seeming to realize the entire thing had been seen by his friends. “Oh, god. I need to use the bathroom.”

He fled down the hallway, Hanji yelling after him. “If you puke, note the color and consistency! It'll help figure out how you're coming along.”

Levi repositioned himself so he could see the screen, but not be seen by the kids on it. Hanji grinned widely. “Let's see... which one is the med student...”

Armin smiled. “That would be me.”

“Ooh. What field are you going into?”

“Oncology. You?”

“I'm in my last month of residency for my MD-PhD in biomedical research.”

“See? He couldn't even be bothered to call a real doctor. Eren's better off coming home.” Of course that was Mikasa. Hanji grinned wickedly and Levi let out a rare full smile. The girl didn't know she had just pissed off the last person she wanted to upset.

“Ah, you must be the overprotective one. Insult me or my friend again and you'll regret it. I didn't spend twelve years busting my ass and get this far to save a life and be bitched at about it. I could take you apart just for fun and make you feel every bit of it.”

“You're still in college. How can you be qualified?”

Eyes narrowing behind her glasses, Hanji's voice changed just enough that Levi knew she could easily go off. “I've been a practicing MD for four years. I'd like to see you try to come as far as I have before you're thirty. I won't be holding my breath. Now you, on the other hand, Armin, was it?” Her smile turned genuine once more, her words softening at his nod. “From what I hear, _you_ could do great things. Are you going into general oncology or do you want to specialize further?”

Mikasa's frustration was palpable even through the screen and Levi chuckled. Hanji's head whipped toward the small noise to wink at him, never losing her place in the conversation with Armin. Seeing they were being mostly ignored, a few of the other kid's attention wandered. Some checked their phones, others seemed to be browsing their computers, and the brunette girl and the bald boy had made popcorn. They were trying and failing to toss it into each other's mouths.

When Eren emerged from the bathroom, Hanji turned to him, concern etched on every feature. “Are you okay? I didn't mean to make you sick!”

He smiled at her. “I'm okay. I felt like I was for a minute, but I'm perfectly fine.”

“If you're sure...” She studied his expression for a minute. “Okay. If you keep it down for the rest of the day, try to have a regular breakfast tomorrow. If that goes well, then consider yourself cleared for food.”

He took over from Hanji, who waved to Armin before relinquishing the seat to Eren. She went into the kitchen and Levi followed. “He seems to be doing well.”

“Yeah. We went to that Italian place I showed you and he ate a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he's ready. Oh, and he also mentioned wanting to work out, but I told him he needed your okay first.”

“Sure thing. Tomorrow when I get a good look I'll talk to him about it.”

Hanji yawned loudly, Levi raising an eyebrow at the volume of it. “I should get back. Another shift tomorrow means another day I need to get up way too early. Goodnight, Levi.”

“Don't kill anyone.”

With a laugh and a smack to his shoulder, she went to say goodnight to Eren, making sure to pop her head in front of the screen and say goodnight to everyone else, too. When Levi went back into the living room, Eren was saying his goodbyes and promising to talk to everyone soon. With a few clicks he ended the call and fell back against the couch, sighing deeply.

“I didn't say it before, but thanks for making me do that. I missed them and knew they worried, but I didn't realize how much I missed them or how much they were hurting. So thank you.” He stretched and got up. “I'm going to go take a shower. Are you up for some more Doctor Who after?”

“Fine. Clean up after yourself in there.”

“Yes, sir.” Eren mock saluted him and left the room with a smile. Little brat.

The past day and a half seemed like a lifetime. It was hard to think that so many things had happened in such a short span of time. He had saved a life, gotten a roommate, fought with his ex-wife, found an apprentice, and argued with a girl halfway across the country. If he hadn't lived it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.

The laptop binged and he rolled his eyes. Of course the brat forgot to log out. One of his friends was trying to connect another video call. Letting out a heavy sigh, he connected only to see Armin. “Eren's in the shower. You can call back in a bit or wait.”

“Actually, I, uh... I wanted to talk to you.”

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Levi let his irritation show. “If you want to hurl any more accusations-”

“No! No. I wanted to thank you. And apologize for Mikasa.”

“I don't want an apology, I want to her to keep her mouth shut.”

“Uh, yeah. Knowing her, that's not going to happen. But really, nobody else said it. Thank you for saving him.”

“I don't need your thanks either, kid. Eren thanks me about every thirty seconds anyway.”

Armin grinned. “He does that. And I don't care if you don't need it, you have my sincere gratitude. We grew up together and he's the closest thing I have to a brother. It gutted all of us when he disappeared and it means more than you know to have him back.”

“I just brought him out of the cold.”

The kid's face grew serious. “No, you're giving him a reason to do something. He said you're a tattoo artist and are taking him as your apprentice. As much as I love him, Eren has always been kind of... flighty, for lack of a better term. He just did whatever he pleased at the time, not worrying about the consequences. Giving him a chance to change is the best thing anyone has ever done for him.”

Levi lit up a cigarette as he considered Armin's words. “Does that mean he's going to skip out on the job in a couple weeks when he sees what hard work it is?”

“No. If nothing else stops him, his pride will. He may have changed in the past year, but I'm sure his nature hasn't. If he sees something as a challenge, he'll go at it full steam until he's done it. Besides, he loves art and drawing. He used to talk about how he wanted a tattoo but never had the money to get one. I honestly think he's going to do really well.”

“Hm. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?” At Armin's furrowed brow, he explained. “I just took a random kid off the streets and into my home. We've already butted heads a few times and I want to know what I'm dealing with. He hasn't exactly been very open with me.”

“Yeah. He tends to keep things close. Like, I had no idea he thought he was holding us back, and I've known him almost my entire life. I guess there are two things you need to know about him. One is that he's stubborn. Really, really stubborn. Second is that he's brutally honest. If he says something, he means it. I think the only lie he ever told was when he said he fell-”

Armin cut himself off and looked shocked that he almost said it. “I know about his dad. He told me a little about why he left home while still in school.”

If anything, the blond's eyes widened further. “Wow, he really does trust you. We all knew something wasn't right but he only admitted it when he showed up at my house in the middle of the night with a duffel bag. But anyway, that's the only lie I can think of that's he's told anyone. He's the absolute worst at lying. On the flip side, he's so honest that sometimes it comes off as callous. He also has a temper, especially when he doesn't think someone is listening to him.”

“So I have a stubborn, brutally honest brat with anger issues in my shower right now?”

“Yep,” he said, popping the 'p'. “But from what I saw earlier, you two should get along wonderfully when you get a feel for each other.”

The sound of running water shut off and Levi stubbed out his smoke. “Do you want to talk to him? The shower just went off.”

“Oh, no. I just wanted to say thank you. Seriously, thank you, Levi. Mikasa will never say it, but you are amazing for doing this.”

Not waiting for a response, Armin waved and ended the call. Levi shook his head and logged out of Skype. Closing the laptop, he picked up the remote and queued up the next episode of Doctor Who. He had a lot to think about and as long as the episode wasn't very deep, he could multitask.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com)! Fangasms for everyone!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be apparent from this point on, but I have a deep love of tattoos/piercings/body modification. I'm by no means an expert, but I've undergone my fair share of time in studios getting work done. Seeing as Eren is an apprentice, I will get technical in some spots. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I'm not a tattoo artist or claim to be, in any way. I just love the process and find it endlessly fascinating. I have no doubt some parts will be wrong, but chalk it up to me using my personal experiences with a healthy dose of artistic liberty.
> 
> Also, holy crap, almost 2k hits and 200 kudos! How did that even happen? I don't even have words for how awesome you all are and how thrilled I am that people like my stupid little Ereri fic. You guys are amazing and I would hug each and every one of you if I could! <3

The next morning as Levi went around in his usual routine, he accidentally woke Eren. The teen stretched and sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes as he yawned loudly. “What time is it?”

Levi looked at his watch. “Just after ten. Go back to sleep if you want.”

“What are you doing?”

“Going to work.”

Lifting his morning cup of tea, Levi hid a tiny smile when Eren rubbed his hair, causing it to stick up in every direction. _Cute._ The smile faded when he realized what had crossed his mind. Eren was too young, too vulnerable, and too damned innocent for his old ass to be lusting after him.

“How long will you be gone?”

Thinking over his schedule, Levi mentally calculated how long his appointments would take. “I should be back at ten or eleven. Maybe earlier, but don't hold your breath.”

“Oh.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but only slumped a bit and let out a deep breath.

“Gonna miss me that much, brat?”

Levi was rewarded with a sharp glare from Eren before he looked away and ruffled his hair again. “It's just... I'm used to doing things. I'll die of boredom sitting here watching TV all day.”

“You want something to do? I guess now is as good a time as any.” He motioned for the brunet to follow him and went into the office. Heading straight for a bookshelf, he pulled out half a dozen books and set them on the desk. After that came a chunk of tracing paper and several pencils. “Know how to work a light box?”

“Of course. Flip the switch and trace.”

Clicking his tongue at the sarcastic tone, Levi motioned to the supplies. “I said I would be taking you as apprentice. Since you were bitching about being bored, this should keep you occupied while I'm gone. Look through these books and try to let some of it sink into your thick skull.”

“I'm not stupid!”

“Prove it, then. Go get something to eat and by the time you're done, I'll have your homework for today.” Eren made to leave the room, but Levi continued. “And no eating in here. Drinks are okay but if you spill something I'll kill you.”

“Yes, sir, captain, sir.”

He could hear the smirk in the brat's voice and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was going to murder Hanji for starting that. Turning to the light box, he grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil. By the time Eren came back in, Levi was just putting the finishing touches on his drawing.

“This is your assignment while I'm gone.” Levi waved at the paper and Eren's eyes widened. “I want five of each of these. Exact copies.”

The paper held three separate drawings: a rose, a skull, and a snake wrapped around a dagger. “These are flash designs. Any tattoo artist should be able to bang one of these out in no time. Do you know what style they are?”

Eren blinked at the unexpected question. “Um... traditional?”

“ _American_ traditional. There's a huge difference between American traditional and Japanese, for example.”

“Oh, I see.”

Levi scoffed softly. “No you don't, not yet. But you will.” He moved out of the chair and opened the first book on the stack. Flipping through the pages, he stopped at a certain one. “See here? American traditional. Thick, bold outlines, simple images, and limited colors.”

“Is this what you do?”

“Sometimes.” When he saw Eren open his mouth to insist, he sighed. “My portfolio is in the bookcase. But that doesn't matter. You'll be starting with this. Most of the basics can be learned by practicing this style.”

“It doesn't look that hard.”

He smirked, not bothering to hide the expression. “Okay, then. Give me five each of those, and then draw me an Eren original. Just the outline.”

Eren followed him out of the room and watched as he put on his coat and shoes. “The numbers for the shop and my cell are on the fridge. I left twenty bucks there, too, if you want delivery or something.” Glancing at his watch, he quirked an eyebrow. “Tick tock, Eren. You better get started if you want to finish on time.”

Half an hour later Levi walked into Legion, the door already unlocked but the sign still saying it was closed. Erd and Petra looked up from where they were getting things ready for the day and greeted him. After dropping his things off in the office Levi went to his own station and began prepping the things he would need for his first appointment of the day.

“Hey, Levi, I'm going to get some coffee. You want anything?”

“Yeah. One of those blackberry teas.” Petra took the five he held out and asked the same question to Erd, who gave her some money and his own order.

Levi lost himself in thought as he scrubbed down the chair and his station. It was a familiar ritual, making sure everything was spotless, checking that the ink was still full, stocking needles and making sure his machine was in perfect condition.

“Do we still have those spare machines in the storeroom?”

Erd looked over from across the room. “Unless someone got rid of them, yeah. Is yours not working?”

“No, it's fine. I'm just bringing in an apprentice.” The silence spoke volumes and Levi turned to the shop manager, who stared at him in surprise. “What?”

“Nothing. Just... I never thought you would take one.”

Levi shrugged. “He's got raw talent but knows jack shit about tattooing.”

“Should I set up a station for him?”

“Don't worry about it. It's going to be a long time before he gets anywhere near a client.”

A bell chimed as Petra came back, hands full, a tall man holding the door for her. “Thanks, Garrett.”

“No problem.” The man closed the door behind him and waved at Levi after hanging his coat on the rack in the corner. “Hey, man, you ready to finish this beast?”

“Sure thing. You know the drill, I'm ready when you are.”

Levi put the final touches on his setup as Garrett used the restroom and stripped above the waist. When his shirt was folded and placed on an empty bed, he spun and let Levi contemplate the bit of work left on the back piece.

A huge work, it covered the entire breadth of the man's back with delicate lines and had taken many sessions to achieve. As hard as he was on himself and his work, Levi had to admit that the scene of a kraken bringing down a pirate ship was one of his best pieces. “It healed well.”

“Hell yeah, it did. I've been babying this thing. I'm not gonna fuck it up right before the last bit.”

“Damn straight. You know the rules: You fuck up my work, I fuck you up.” Grabbing a purple marker, Levi sketched a few details on the remaining section, noting a few places to shade a bit more.

“Apprentice?” Petra's loud exclamation made Levi lean around his client and glare at the woman. She stared back at him in surprise. “You're taking an apprentice?”

“Tch.” He finished his lines and capped the marker before responding. “Why is this such a big thing? He's talented and passionate about his art.”

Petra sat next to Garrett's shirt on the empty bed and grinned widely. “The great Levi is deigning to teach someone? Either this kid is gonna give you a run for your money or he's gonna run for the hills the moment you start in on him.”

“Guess we'll find out when he starts.” Levi poured ink into tiny plastic cups carefully to get the right gradient of color. “Don't you have something to do instead of pester me?”

“Nope. Client isn't coming for another half hour. And don't try to wiggle out of this. When's he start?”

“I'm not a hundred percent sure. He's going through some personal stuff right now. Soon, though.” He looked up at Petra from his seat and raised an eyebrow. “Are we done?”

“For now.” Her attention turned to the man laying on the tale and she grinned widely. “I'll miss not seeing you around here, Garrett.”

He chuckled and returned the smile. “Please. You know as well as I do I'll be back.”

Levi tuned out their conversation and eyed the patch of skin, determining where to start. Part of him wondered how Eren was doing with his homework and he felt the corners of his mouth curl in a tiny smile at the thought. That kid was sure in for a shock when Levi actually started teaching him. Noticing when Petra retreated to her own station, he tested that the machine was running smoothly and dipped the needle into some ink.

“Ready to finish this shitshow?”

“Let's do it.”

Levi laid needle to skin and let any thoughts aside from the image before him fade away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any questions/comments/concerns? Want some (a lot of) yaoi? How about random stuff I find funny?
> 
> Awesome, because I have a [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com)!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets an eyeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for all you lovely readers. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it... you guys are amazing. All the kudos and nice comments are killing me in the best way. I can't even begin to say how happy I am that you guys are this awesome.

Levi dragged himself through the front door and bent over to take his snow-covered boots off. The faint sound of music filtered through the apartment but he couldn't quite place the song. “I'm home.”

“Welcome back! That Chinese you wanted is in the fridge. I'm almost done.” Eren called out from the office and Levi shrugged off his coat. He had gotten a text about six o'clock asking him what he wanted to eat. A container of pork lo mein and an egg roll were soon plated and in the microwave. He wasn't surprised that the brat wasn't finished with his assignment yet and figured that the kid had underestimated just how long it would take to draw the images the first time and had procrastinated for a while.

“Good. And your time will improve once you get used to drawing things like this.”

The music turned off when he was halfway through eating and Eren emerged, carrying a small stack of paper. A few moments later, Levi had finished his plate and rinsed his dishes. He then took the drawings and lined them up on the bar, examining them with a critical eye as Eren looked on anxiously. The pictures weren't up to his usual standard, but he found himself pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

“Not bad. Especially for this being your first time doing stuff like this.” Before Eren could get too excited, though, he had to point a few things out. “You need to watch your lines. They wobble a bit near the end of your stroke. And this,” he indicated the original piece Eren had provided, “is too complex. Line art is just that, line art. If you turn this into a stencil, the lines will be muddied on the skin and you won't have a clear image to ink.”

“But what about the details?”

“There's a few techniques for that, but don't worry about that until you've mastered the outlines.” Levi grabbed a pencil and a blank piece of paper. “First things first, though. One pass lines are crucial. Watch carefully.”

Three days after Eren had been left alone for the first time, Levi recruited him to rearrange the apartment. Most of the office furniture was moved to a corner of the living room. That same afternoon they had gone to a department store and gotten everything for Eren to make the former office into the bedroom it was supposed to be. The bed was delivered the next day, and with much sweating and cursing it was assembled in just over four hours.

“Until I figure out what to do with the shit in the closet, you're going to have to make do with only using half of it.” Levi looked down at the kid sprawled on the bed, who seemed like he was choking back tears once again. “Oi, you listening?”

“Yeah. That... that's cool.” With a heavy sigh, Eren sat up and hugged a pillow to his chest. “I know you're getting tired of hearing it, but I can't ever thank you enough for all of this.”

“Tch, brat.” That got a smile out of him. Rolling his eyes, Levi turned to exit the room when the buzzer sounded. “Pizza's here. Go pick something to watch.”

Things continued in this manner for a few weeks. On days when Levi worked, he assigned Eren homework and left money for delivery, critiquing the art after he had eaten. On days when Levi stayed home, it varied. Sometimes they ran errands or did chores, sometimes they practiced their drawings, sometimes they lazed around and marathoned a series.

On one of the lazy days, Levi read a book on one end of the couch while Eren flipped through his portfolio on the other side. “Hey, Levi?”

“Hm?” He didn't look up from the page.

“You're good. Like, really good.”

At that he raised an eyebrow. “I know. What about it?”

“How much would it cost to get a portrait?”

Finally looking up, he marked his spot on the page with a finger. “Depends. Why do you ask?”

Eren fidgeted before meeting Levi's gaze. “I told you my mom died, right? Well, I kind of want to get one of her.”

“Makes sense.”

Even though Levi agreed with him, Eren's face took on a look of determination. “It does. The woman was a saint and didn't deserve what happened. And besides, what kind of tattoo artist doesn't have any tattoos?”

Huffing a tiny laugh, Levi stuck a bookmark in the novel and set it aside. “I was agreeing with you, you idiot. Now take off your shirt and come here.”

Eren gave him a wary look, but did as requested, throwing the shirt over the arm of the couch. “Why am I stripping?”

“So I can look at your skin. I haven't actually looked since you were nearly dead, and the quality of your skin for tattooing wasn't exactly my top priority at the moment.”

Flushing at the reminder that Levi had seen him naked, Eren stood in front of Levi, squirming under the intense study, turning when asked. “Were you thinking anywhere in particular?”

“Not really. I mean, you're the expert.”

Levi took Eren's wrist and held his arm out, touching the skin softly in several places. “True. Now,” he said, walking through his thought process so Eren could learn at the same time, “normally for portraits you want to look for a wide, flat piece of skin without any scars or injuries. Why is that?”

“Um...” Eren thought for a moment. “So the picture isn't warped?”

“Exactly. That's why most portraits are done on biceps, forearms, shoulders, thighs, and pectorals. They can be done other places, but positioning is absolutely key so the face isn't distorted by the curve of the body.” Levi sat back and looked Eren over critically once more. “Alright, put your shirt back on.”

After the teen was seated again, Levi continued. “The problem we have now is the quality of the canvas. Your skin looks good to tattoo, no scars or lumps, no weird off-color spots, that's all fine. The issue is how skinny you are.”

“Hey, I eat! A lot!”

“I know, I buy the groceries.” Levi rolled his eyes. “If you weren't aware, tattoos hurt. You're basically jamming needles into yourself thousands and thousands of times at rapid speed. Skin thickness, fat content, nerve concentration and location all play a role in how much it hurts. As skinny as you are, it would be like I was tattooing your bones. Pain aside, you are gaining weight and muscle. Let's say you get this on your bicep. When you fill out, the skin will stretch, distorting the tattoo. Yes, some people gain and lose weight without it affecting the art's integrity, but most of those aren't portraits.”

“So once I get closer to where I was... then I could get it?”

Levi shrugged. “You can get it now if you want, but I wouldn't do it. I'm not going to do a memorial piece when I know it's just going to get fucked up.”

“I'll wait, then. I want you to do it. And I'll find some way to pay for it.”

“Okay.”

They settled back into their respective places and Levi returned to his book as Eren flipped on the TV. A few minutes later, Levi spoke again. “Eren.”

“Yeah?”

“You're totally committed to this apprenticeship, aren't you?”

Eren's head shot up faster than he had ever seen. “Of course I am! Did I ever give the impression I wasn't?”

“No. Just making sure.” Eren stared at him for a long moment and Levi made the decision. “How would you like to come to the shop with me tomorrow, see what it's like in person?”

Eren's eyes lit up like he had just found out that Santa was real. “Seriously? Are you actually asking me that question? Of course I want to go!”

“Good.”

The teen grinned from ear-to-ear, nearly vibrating with excitement as he continued flipping through Levi's portfolio. Levi turned back to his book, but even as his eyes roamed the page, he retained none of the story. Still maintaining the facade of being engrossed in the novel, Levi left the bookmark in place and flipped the page as his thoughts wandered.

Of course they went straight to his new ward. He was far from surprised that Eren wanted a tattoo. Even his little blond friend had said that he wanted one. And it was no surprise that he wanted a portrait of his mother. Slowly, more bits of his life had come out during their conversations and the woman really did seem like a saint, from what he had been told.

Levi also specialized in realism and portraits so, again, it wasn't really a surprise when Eren said he wanted Levi to be the one to do it. That said, he would refuse to do it until Eren reached his goal weight and returned to his former build. He had been shown old pictures on Facebook and while he couldn't have been called bulky in any sense of the word, younger Eren still had quite a bit of size on the one that currently shared the couch with him.

Still, he had come a long way in the short time he had been staying with Levi. Eren hadn't been lying when he said he ate a lot. With that and him joining Levi's daily workout, he was gaining muscle at a respectable pace. He was still skinny, but he didn't look like a skeleton any more.

When Levi had told him to take off his shirt so he could inspect his skin, he honestly didn't have any ulterior motive. But when Eren stood in front of him his fingers itched to draw patterns on the near flawless skin, to touch the recovering muscles. He had been right when he had originally thought that Eren would be stunning when he was back to fighting form. He was just beginning to really get back to it and already Levi had to make a concentrated effort to not stare when he moved. Even when Eren did something so simple as stretch and accidentally reveal a thin strip of tanned skin between his shirt and pants was enough to make his mouth run dry.

Still, as much as he wanted to do something, he wouldn't take advantage of the kid. Eren was his responsibility just like Levi had been Erwin's responsibility at that age. And god knows he wouldn't have taken it well if Erwin had tried something with him. But, then again, Eren had made no secret of the fact he found Levi attractive...

Shaking his head, he closed the ignored book and excused himself for the evening. He needed some time by himself to try and force the thoughts of Eren out of his head.

Maybe tonight it would actually work.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get a tumblr! And you get a tumblr! Everyone look under your seats! [Tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) for everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fun at the tattoo shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on this fic for Camp NaNoWriMo this year and have been plowing through chapters in the past few days. I guess not having a working internet connection is good for stories. But the internet is back and so am I!
> 
> I went through and fixed a couple inconsistencies in the story in the first few chapters. Minor things, but just so you're aware. I'm also going back to put in some short chapter descriptions, just one or two sentences to whet your appetite for what's coming.
> 
> I can't say how much I adore all of you for liking this story as much as I do. I read these comments and I can't even begin to contain the joy that each one brings me. You are all amazing people and it makes my whole day every time someone says something about this story. Comments are my lifeblood and I'm living very well thanks to all of you. <3<3<3
> 
> Okay, sappy time over. ON TO THE STORY!

Eren woke up the moment he heard the shower turn on. It wasn't loud, but he had a tendency to be a light sleeper unless he was totally exhausted. With that and the excitement of visiting Levi's shop for the first time, he was ready to go. At least he didn't have to worry about fighting with Levi over the shower, since they had come to a mutual decision that Levi would take one in the morning and Eren would take his in the evening. Besides, he had noticed that Levi needed every bit of help he could get to wake up. A morning person, he certainly was not.

Not bothering to dress yet, Eren went to the kitchen in his pajamas and cracked a few eggs, whisking them and pulling out other ingredients while the pan heated. He wasn't a chef by any means, but Sasha and Connie had made sure that their friends knew how to make the basics. He had to smile at the memory of Sasha nearly ripping the giant Bertl apart when he burnt the hamburgers one time at a barbecue.

“You seem happy this morning.” Eren was so caught up in his memories that he didn't even notice Levi's presence until the older man spoke.

“Just remembering something that happened forever ago. Any omelet requests?”

“Nope.” Levi maneuvered around Eren and made his habitual cup of tea before sitting at the bar and watching the food come together. “Excited for today?”

“Definitely. I hope the others like me.”

Levi scoffed and Eren raised an eyebrow in question, smile never faltering. “Petra is going to want to adopt you. And Erd won't have a problem. Gunther might be there... I can't remember if he asked for today or tomorrow off. And Auruo is... well, it's a good thing you won't be meeting him first.”

Eren turned back to the eggs, filling and flipping them before saying anything. “Is he not going to like me?”

“Auruo doesn't really like anybody except for Petra. He's a good guy once you get past all the dickotry.” Sliding the omelets onto plates, Eren snorted. Levi narrowed his eyes. “What was that noise?”

“Nothing,” Eren said, a wide grin threatening to escape, “just that Hanji said pretty much the same thing about someone else.”

Levi sighed and cut off a corner of his eggs. “I'm going to kill her one of these days.”

“You love her and you know it.”

With a mouth full of food, Levi could only glare while Eren laughed. The older man might deny it with his dying breath, but he really did seem to care for the crazy woman. She made it a point to visit at least every other day, ostensibly to check up on Eren, but she had confided that it was mostly to see Levi come out of his shell. Apparently before Eren had come along, Levi had gone to work and come home and nothing else. On very rare occasions he had gone to the bar with his coworkers, but those times were few and far between.

After living with him for several weeks, it was clear that Levi didn't have much of a social life. Other than for a specific purpose, like going to work or the store, he never left the apartment. Nobody ever came over, either, except for Hanji and occasionally Moblit, her roommate and grad school assistant. Mo seemed to be somewhat scared of Levi and Eren really couldn't blame him. If Levi hadn't done such amazing things he would have been wary of the taciturn man, as well. But, as Levi ate his breakfast and made tiny noises of enjoyment, Eren was far from afraid of the man, even having experienced some of his anger.

As he ate his own omelet before it got cold, Eren couldn't help but let his thoughts wander even further towards the man next to him. Levi was... Levi was Levi. He was temperamental, had a foul mouth, rarely smiled or laughed, and had this intimidating aura around him that made him seem seven feet tall. He was also doing everything he could to help Eren out, had endless patience when teaching (as long as Eren was trying and hadn't zoned out), possessed the driest wit he had ever seen, and was incredibly gorgeous.

Nothing more had been said or done after the first disastrous kiss, even though Eren wanted to. Badly. Especially when they were working out together, he had to make a conscious effort to not drool all over himself like an idiot. Under the perpetually black clothes Levi had a body that people would kill for. Intricate, colorful designs swirled over most of his skin and Eren longed to inspect them closer, to run his fingers over the delicate lines, to trace the pictures with his tongue. Every inch of him was corded with defined muscle and there wasn't an ounce of fat to spare... except for his ass, which Eren appreciated on a regular basis. Not that it was a bubble butt or anything, it had just the right amount of softness to it that he could imagine digging his fingers into it as Levi thrust into him-

“Oi, you going to eat that or let it get cold?”

Snapping out of the increasingly vulgar fantasy, Eren rolled his eyes and took another bite. “Just thinking.”

“Don't hurt yourself.”

Eren made a face, opening his mouth to show Levi the half-chewed food and the man shuddered. “Disgusting.” Smiling at the reaction, Eren soon finished and stood to put the dishes in the sink. “I'll get it. Go get dressed, you nasty little shit.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

When Eren was finally ready to go, Levi waited next to the door, just pulling on his coat. Locking the door behind them, they made their way out into the snow to walk the several blocks to the shop. As he had every time they came this way, Eren repressed a shiver and thoughts of what might have been when they passed the alley. Levi noticed the motion when he turned away.

“I didn't tell them about anything that happened.”

There was no reason to pretend he didn't know what Levi was talking about, even if he really wanted to. “Oh. So what do they think?”

He shrugged and lit another cigarette. Eren had originally been pretty grossed out when he found out that Levi smoked, but now he had gotten used to the smell of tobacco and cologne and it didn't even faze him anymore. Levi wouldn't be Levi if he didn't do the things he did and, as enamored as he was, Eren wouldn't change a thing about the man.

“They know your name is Eren and that you've been going through some personal stuff. Other than that, nothing. It's up to you what you do and don't tell them.”

“Okay. So they don't know I'm staying with you?”

Levi shook his head. “Nope. It's none of their business. I don't care if they find out, but I'm not going to make it a point to say anything and make a big thing out of it.”

A few minutes later they came up on the shop. A huge window dominated the storefront, plastered with the logo of two contrasting colored wings crossed over each other, the word LEGION stamped near the bottom. Taking a deep breath, Eren followed Levi inside.

Having never set foot inside of a tattoo shop before, Eren was pleasantly surprised. A comfortable sitting area with black couches and a large coffee table was just inside the entrance. A large mural of an eastern dragon curled around itself covered most of one wall, framed artwork on the wall opposite. A long counter with a glass section filled with body jewelry and other merchandise for sale divided the front and back areas. He followed Levi around the counter, craning his neck to look at other various pictures and decor as the older man led him even further back.

In the office a man with long, blond hair pulled back into a bun and a goatee sat at the desk, alternately shuffling through papers and typing information into the computer. At their entrance, he looked up, did a double take, then smiled. “You must be the fabled apprentice.”

Levi scoffed. “Apprentice, yes. Fabled, no. Eren, this is Erd. He's the manager and is second-in-command around here. If he asks you to do something, you do it. Erd, meet Eren. He doesn't know a damned thing, so we're starting from scratch.”

A tattooed hand was held out and Eren took it, returning Erd's smile. “Nice to meet you, Erd.”

“Yeah, you too.” The other man turned to Levi and they discussed how much stuff should go on the order Erd was working on. Eren tuned out the mundane conversation as he took off his outerwear, hanging it up next to Levi's. After a quick tour of the back, showing Eren where the various supplies were kept, they came back out front.

“And these are our stations. This one is mine.”

Four stations were set up on each side of a wide aisle, divided with low walls. Levi's station was as well-organized and spotless as his apartment. Pictures and sketches were pinned on a bulletin board next to a full-length mirror. A small tool chest was labeled with numbers and letters on each drawer. Levi saw his confused look and explained that each drawer was for a different type of needle.

A bell hung over the door rang and a tiny woman with ginger hair bounced in. “Hey, guys! What's up...” Her voice faded when she noticed Eren, a wide grin settling across her face. “Are you Eren?”

He nodded hesitantly, unsure of what to make of the perky girl. “You must be Petra.”

“I am! And you're the apprentice! Welcome!” The way she bounded up to him made him flinch slightly, but she stopped before running into him, smile intact. “I'm so happy to meet you. Ever since Levi mentioned taking someone on I've been trying to get him to spill but he hasn't told me anything.”

“He's not much of a talker, is he?”

She laughed loudly and Eren smiled. Her enthusiasm was infectious. They both ignored Levi's irritated noise. “I hope he doesn't scare you away too soon.”

“Nah, I'm used to it by now. If I was going to run, I'd be gone already.”

Her eyes widened in surprise and approval. Before she could say anything else, Levi cleared his throat. “Petra, you're dripping all over the floor. Did you even wipe your boots off?”

“Sorry. I'll go get the mop.”

“I'll take care of it if you go for a coffee run.” He pulled a twenty out of his wallet and handed the bill to her. “My treat today. Eren, go see what Erd wants.”

Eren walked back to the office, aware that Levi spoke in a low voice to Petra. He couldn't make out the words, but had a sneaking suspicion that he was the topic. Popping his head around the doorway, he knocked on the frame. Erd looked up from his papers with an eyebrow raised. “Petra's going on a coffee run, Levi's treat. You want anything?”

“Just my usual, thanks.”

Eren returned to the front and Petra smiled when he told her. “Of course. Don't know why we even bother asking anymore. What do you want?”

“Um... peppermint mocha with an extra shot.”

Levi looked at him curiously as Petra left the studio. “Peppermint mocha? Have you turned into a sorority girl?”

“I have a sweet tooth. Don't hate,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, 'tis the season, right?”

“It's almost February. But whatever.” Levi sat on his stool and motioned for Eren to take a seat on the chair. “I need to make a few things clear about how things work here.”

Eren nodded. “Of course. Shoot.”

“You know I own this place. Everyone else has been here for at least two years. I'm stressing this only so things continue to run smoothly: you are the low man on the pole, here. If someone asks you to do something, you do it. Basically, you're the shop bitch.”

“Yeah, I know. You said that already.”

Levi raised a brow. “That's why I said I was _stressing_ it. It's a right of passage kind of thing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us. You're going to be trained in mostly everything here, and everyone has their own specialty.”

“Mostly everything?”

“Ordering supplies and scheduling and such are my and Erd's responsibility. And we also do piercing, but unless you specifically want to learn that, you can skip it.”

“Do you do that?”

“Sometimes. Not often, but I'm not bad at it. Most of that is Petra's job.” Levi cocked his head slightly. “I know you're going to ask, so here. I only work by appointment, no exceptions. The rest rotate between walk-ins and appointments, and Petra is the main piercer. We don't take appointments for that except for genitals. Sometimes measurements are needed and rarely, we need to order special jewelry.”

Eren considered this for a moment. “So what am I doing today?”

“Today you're observing how this place functions on a daily basis. You'll be shadowing me for most of it. I may also give you something to do while I have other things going on, but we'll see. Do you know anything about how these places work?”

“Just what you've told me.”

“There are a couple rules that are absolute.” Eren nodded, but Levi eyed him seriously. “I'm not kidding. If these aren't followed this place could be shut down in an instant.”

Eyes wide, the teen leaned forward, giving every bit of attention to Levi's next words. “We don't work on anyone without an ID. They have to be 18, no exceptions. I don't care if the fucking Pope wants to sign for them, not going to happen. Same thing for drunks. Never, ever work on anyone under the influence of anything. Everyone signs a waiver, too. No matter how big or small the piece. No waiver? No work. And most importantly, everything needs to be kept immaculately clean. This isn't me being anal about it. We're dealing with needles, blood, and open wounds. The ability to spread infection or disease cannot be understated.”

Levi went on about the various procedures used to keep everything as safe as possible while Eren's mind boggled. He had known places like this had to be kept clean, but he had no idea of the extent of it. When Levi finished his explanation, he led Eren to the supply closet and loaded him up with paper towels and disinfectant then had him wipe down all the counters and chairs.

By the time he was finishing, Petra had come back with the various drinks. After doling them out, she showed Eren where the switch was and flipped on the neons that lit up the logo on the window, signaling to the public that they were open for business.

“So, Eren...” He looked up at Petra's voice. “How did you and Levi meet?”

He shrugged, not really wanting to go into it first thing on his first day. “I'm going through a rough patch right now and Levi decided to give me a hand. I guess he saw potential or something.”

The tiny woman grinned widely, then looked around furtively. Taking a guess, Eren told her that Levi was doing something in the office. She still leaned in and spoke softly. “He's intimidating at first, but he's a big softie underneath... at least he was before.”

The last bit was muttered under her breath, so Eren pretended to not hear it and nodded. “Yeah. Once he stops cursing he's actually pretty nice.”

The bell dinged and they both turned towards the door. A pair of girls walked in, glancing around nervously. Petra smiled at them and walked behind the counter. “Hey there. What can I help you with today?”

Eren watched as Petra took the girls' information and had them each sign a waiver. After making a copy of their IDs, she turned to Eren. “Want to sit in on these?” At his nod, she smiled like she hadn't expected any other answer. “Go ask Levi if it's cool, then.”

He did so and got the okay, then followed Petra and the two girls back into the piercing room. Snapping on a pair of black plastic gloves, she started pulling out supplies, explaining each one to Eren. The girls paid attention, too, and it seemed to calm their nerves.

“Alright, ladies, who goes first? Tongue or nose?”

  


  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running out of fun ways to say it, so here's my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two minutes is over a minute and a half too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're finally getting some steam behind this story. Things are actually happening and it's awesome. I hope you enjoy reading these next few chapters as much as I enjoyed writing them.
> 
> As always, thank you all for your lovely comments. You guys are fantastic. <3

“Are those real?”

Eren rolled his eyes and smiled, wincing slightly when tender skin pulled uncomfortably. “Of course they are. Why would I fake it?”

Armin grinned out from the laptop screen. “It's not bad or anything. It's just different. ”

Shrugging, Eren took a careful sip of water. “I work at a tattoo shop. You had to know I would get something done sooner or later.”

“Yeah, but I should have guessed you'd go all out on your first day.”

After seeing the two girls get their piercings done earlier that day, Eren had observed as Levi worked on a half-completed sleeve for a while, sat in on a consultation with Erd, and watched Petra work on a walk-in client. Near the end of the day the shop was dead and while Eren swept the floor, Petra talked to him about how she got into tattooing.

The girl was 22 years old and already had quite a bit of work done. A full sleeve of lace and flowers covered her left arm, a jeweled rose surrounded with filigree covered her chest from shoulder-to-shoulder, and apparently she had several more under her clothing. She also had several visible piercings, with more hidden. The left side of her lower lip held a silver ring, there were two rings in her right nostril, and countless more decorating her ears.

If Eren was straight, he would have been all about her. All sexual preferences aside, she was beautiful and when he admired her piercings, her hazel eyes lit up.

After getting the okay to spend time with her rather than practice more drawing, he left the studio that evening with four new holes in his body; one in each earlobe, one on the right side of his lip, and another in the center of his nose.

He had posted pictures on his newly reactivated social media accounts and the response seemed pretty positive so far. Even he had to admit that while he had been skeptical about the septum ring, he pulled it off really well. Levi had even complimented him on his new accessories.

“Oh, I almost forgot!”

Eren's attention snapped back to Armin. “What's up?”

“There's this medical conference I got invited to go to with a couple people in my major.”

“Really? That's pretty cool.”

“Not just that, but guess where it is?” Eren just raised an eyebrow and Armin laughed. “It's in Mitras!”

Jaw dropping open, Eren blinked stupidly for a moment. “What? When?”

“Next weekend. Other than the actual conference, the rest of the weekend is free time.”

“How in the hell did you land that? I can't believe it!”

Armin grinned even wider. “Turns out getting 100% on all my exams was worth the studying hell I went through.”

“Damn, man. You ruined the curve for everyone else.”

“Worth it.” The blond flipped his hair haughtily and joined in Eren's laughter. “So I'll be in town. Can you make time to hang out?”

“Of course! Why would you even ask that?”

“Well, you have this job now and live with Levi and all...”

“No worries. I'm sure it'll be fine.”

Levi walked into the living room at that moment and clicked his tongue. “Can you keep it down? We do have neighbors, you know.”

“Sorry. Can you come here for a minute?” Eren scooted over so Levi could be seen in the camera and Armin smiled in greeting. “Armin is coming to Mitras next weekend. Is it cool if he comes over for a while?”

Levi eyed Eren for a second before turning to the screen. “Is anyone else coming with you?”

The blond winced and Levi cursed softly. “I told Mikasa and she wants to.”

Taking the not-so-subtle cue, Eren made a face. “Hey, man, let me get a hold of you later, okay?”

“Oh... oh, yeah, no problem. Later, guys.”

When the call ended, Levi fell back against the couch, closing his eyes. Eren turned towards him, his knee touching the older man's thigh. If his expression indicated his final decision, there was no way in hell his friends would be seeing where he lived.

“Eren...”

Biting his tongue, he let Levi think of what he wanted to say without interrupting.

“Okay... shit, I need a smoke for this.” Eren reached behind him for an ashtray while Levi dug in his pants for his pack and a lighter. Once he took a puff, he focused back on Eren.

“I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're an adult and can make your own decisions. I'm not keeping you hostage and you know that.” Eren nodded and Levi continued. “But I refuse to have that... _Mikasa_... in my house or in my shop. I have no problems with your other friend whatsoever. As long as I know he's coming he can spend as much time as he wants here and that's perfectly fine. But she isn't to set foot in here or Legion.”

“I know she wasn't the friendliest towards you, but...” Eren trailed off at Levi's expression.

“She called me a kidnapper. A rapist. A serial killer, a pedophile, and a dozen other things after I saved your life. I get that she's like your sister, but I refuse to invite someone with that little respect into my home.”

As much as he understood where Levi was coming from, Eren felt his temper rising. “I live here, too, you know. And how would you feel if I completely refused to have someone you cared for come here?”

Levi's jaw clenched. His words were still calm, but the hint of anger came through loud and clear. “If I was living in your house for free and had everything handed to me on a silver platter I would respect your wishes.”

“So because you pay the bills I can't have my family over?”

“No, you can have all your little friends over if you want. Just not her.”

“She's my sister!”

“No.”

“Levi, what the fuck!”

Stubbing out the mostly untouched cigarette, Levi put the ashtray on the coffee table and turned to fully face Eren. “You know what, Eren? I don't ask a whole fucking lot from you. Clean up after yourself, do your best at work, and don't fuck my life up. That's it. After everything I've done for you I'd think you would understand why I don't want her and her fucking attitude in my home, tearing me apart because she doesn't have you at her side wrapped in fucking bubble wrap and treated like a child. If it was just Armin I'd even say that he could stay here the whole goddamned weekend if you wanted. Not. Her.”

“But-”

“No buts. I've done everything I can to make sure you're comfortable and happy here. The very least you can do is respect my wishes with this one thing. You tried to turn it around on me earlier, so how about this: What if I knew someone who hated you? Who absolutely despised the very ground you stand on, wanted to set fire to the very air you breathe? Who called you the most despicable names they could ever think of when you actually did something that benefited them? Not only that, but what if they made no secret of their hatred and took every given opportunity to rip you to shreds? Do you honestly think it would be okay for me to invite them to your house, to your work?”

The laptop binged before Eren could respond and they both turned to look at it. Mikasa's name flashed across the screen and Levi smirked. “Go ahead, answer it. I'll be polite and we'll see what she has to say. If she can speak to me for five minutes without insulting me then she can come to the shop. Actually, you know what? Make it two. Two minutes, no name-calling.”

Even as Eren hit accept, he knew this was a bad idea. Levi marked the time on his watch and sat back with a pleasant expression. When Mikasa's face popped up on screen, for a split second she smiled... then she saw Levi.

“What the fuck is he doing there?”

“Good evening to you, too.”

“Mikasa, stop it! We've been over this!” _Please be nice, please be nice, please be nice..._

She growled. “Me and Armin are coming to Mitras next weekend and bringing you home.”

“He isn't a child, Mikasa. Don't you think he should make his own decisions about his life?” Levi's voice was soft, with no hint of condescension or sarcasm.

“Fuck you, you fucking pervert. He's got Stockholm Syndrome or something! Look what he did to his face because of you!”

Levi checked his watch and turned to Eren with a blank expression. “She sure seems to have a lot of faith in your ability and mental capacity to make your own adult, rational decisions. Fifteen seconds, by the way.”

Without another word Levi left the couch and went into the kitchen. Eren buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. “You couldn't have been nice, could you?”

“What's wrong, Eren? What did he mean by fifteen seconds?”

Eren made no effort to disguise his glare when he looked back up. “He was proving a point. It only took you fifteen seconds to insult him even when he was being perfectly polite to you.”

“Fuck him anyway. When you come home next-”

“I'm not fucking going back to Shingansina!” Mikasa's eyes widened as he cut her off. “What is your problem? I'm not a fucking child and I don't need to be treated like one! How is it that everyone else has no problem with my choices except for you?”

“Because he's a pedo-”

“I AM NOT A CHILD! We're not fucking! Besides, even if we were, it's nobody's business except for mine and his. I don't get why you hate him so much.”

“He's-”

“I wasn't finished! He saved my life and has given me a reason to get up every morning. I don't care if you don't like what I do for work but I love it.”

“But-”

“Did you know he's spoken with everyone at home and they all get along with him? Even Annie and Ymir are polite to him and they're not even nice to us most of the time! We live together and he's wandered into a call with everyone at least once. You're the only one who doesn't realize what a good guy he is.”

“He isn't-”

“Yes, he is! And when I make a decision he doesn't question it and treat me like I'm stupid. He doesn't assume something is wrong with me if I don't fall in line with him. You want to know what kind of guy he is? Before you called we were talking to Armin and he told us about coming to Mitras. Levi was okay with him staying with us the whole time, until you were brought up.”

“See? He's manipu-”

“And then you know what happened?” He talked right over her, not willing to hear any more insults to either Levi or his intelligence. “We fought about it and he tried to convince me that it would be a disaster if you came out here. That point he was proving earlier? He gave you a chance. He said that you could be here, too, if you could go two minutes without insulting him. Two fucking minutes, Mikasa. You barely made it fifteen seconds!”

“That's because-”

“It's because, for some reason, you can't stand not keeping after me like I'm a kid. I haven't been a kid for a long time, 'Kasa.”

She pulled a red scarf up her chin and looked down. “I'm just trying to protect you.”

Eren's voice softened in response. “I don't need to be protected. I need to be trusted to make my own choices. You know I love you, 'Kasa. You're like my sister and always will be, but you need to let me go. You wouldn't act like this if it was Armin or anyone else, and you know it as well as I do.”

Her only response was to pull the scarf up further. Eren sighed. “Listen, I really do want to see you. I'd love for you to come out here with Armin, but Levi refuses to have you here or at the shop.” She looked up sharply and opened her mouth but he cut her off again. “And I agree with him. I didn't before, which is why we fought, but now I see what he meant.”

“So you're choosing him over me...”

“You're the one forcing me to. He was willing to meet you halfway but you just...” Heaving a sigh, Eren closed his eyes. “Stop this. I want you to come visit, but I'm not going back with you. I'm building a life here and you need to respect that. If you come out with Armin we can go sightseeing and go out to eat or something. You just can't come to the shop or the apartment. You know you're important to me. He is, too. I'm making my own decisions from now on and I expect you to respect that and not insinuate that I'm stupid every single time. If you can't accept that then I don't know what to tell you. So?”

Mikasa stayed silent, still not looking at her camera. “Nothing?” Eren sighed again. “Fine. If you decide you still want to come out here and promise to try and be nice to Levi, let me know. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, 'Kasa.”

Eren shut the laptop and scrubbed his face with both hands. That sucked. The motion of his hands bumped the new jewelry and he hissed in pain. That sucked, too.

Movement from the kitchen caught his attention and Levi came in the room holding two cups. He handed one to Eren and then sat in his customary armchair. Silence reigned for a bit as they both sipped the chamomile tea. Eren groaned and set his cup down on a coaster. Running his hands through his hair, he pulled the messy strands as the fights replayed in his head.

Of course the day would play out like that. He had a great time at Legion today, so he was due to fuck something up. The fight with Levi was bad, but the one with Mikasa... he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't think he was out of line with anything he said, but she looked so hurt at the end...

“For what it's worth, I'm sorry things turned out like that.”

Eren met Levi's cool, grey gaze and scoffed softly. “Yeah, I'm sure you'll be crying yourself to sleep tonight over Mikasa not coming here.”

Levi shrugged. “Not in the slightest, but at least you stood up for yourself.”

“And I made her cry.” She hadn't actually let any tears loose on camera, but Eren knew her facial expressions well enough to tell when she was barely holding herself together.

Levi stayed silent, which Eren appreciated. He didn't want fake platitudes or to inadvertently start another fight. They sipped their tea in a slightly awkward yet still companionable silence. Levi didn't gloat about being right or ask Eren to apologize. Eren didn't acknowledge that Levi had been right or say anything about Armin still visiting.

They finished their drinks at the same time and Eren stood to take them to the sink. Levi plucked the porcelain from his fingers before he could. “I'll get it.”

Eren froze in place, watching the shorter man move as he rinsed and washed the cups, drying them carefully before putting them back in the cupboard. When he came back out of the kitchen their eyes met. Without any conscious thought, Eren stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Levi.

He stiffened slightly before tentatively lifting his own arms around Eren. He buried his face in Levi's neck, inhaling his addictive scent and enjoying the sensation of strong arms around him. Levi adjusted position slightly and his lips brushed against Eren's neck. A shiver ran down his spine and he knew Levi felt it as well, as wrapped up as they were.

Eren pulled back a bit to look Levi in the face. Something charged the air around them and Eren was lost to it. He didn't care what had just happened, who had said what, none of it. All he knew was that the man he had been lusting after since the moment he opened his eyes and found himself in this apartment was in front of him, mere inches away. Steely grey eyes searched his face and Levi licked his lips, his gaze darting down to look at Eren's mouth.

Eren leaned in slowly, licking his lips as well. When his tongue hit the ring, though, he hissed in pain. The spell over them broke and Levi stepped out of Eren's arms. His face was tinged pink and he looked off to the side a bit, not making eye contact.

“Go get some sleep, Eren. It's been a long day.”

Without another word he spun on a heel and left the room, his bedroom door closing softly a second later. Eren flipped the kitchen light off and went to his room, flopping down on top of the covers. He inhaled the fresh scent of detergent and softener and closed his eyes. He would deal with everything in the morning. He had just enough presence of mind to slip into his pjs and slide in between the sheets.

His last thoughts before drifting to sleep were of grey eyes, flushed cheeks and moist lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com), simultaneously the best and worst place in the internet. Come see which part I live in ;)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's got it bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, you guys are killing me with the positive response to this story! Every time the read count goes up, every time I get kudos, every time I get a comment... my heart soars. You all are making this author one very, _very_ happy lady.
> 
> Much love to you all <3

Slim fingers trailed over the exposed tan skin, a line of goosebumps following the motion. Green eyes that darkened with arousal stared up at him in fascination. A pink tongue darted out to moisten bitten and swollen lips. Red splotches dotted his chest and collarbones, quickly turning into bruises.

Lowering his head, Levi licked and kissed his way up Eren's throat, nibbling at the defined jaw. When he gently bit the soft skin under the teen's ear, Eren moaned his name and arched his entire body. One of Levi's hands traveled down the length of Eren's arm to intertwine their fingers while the other moved to encircle their straining erections.

The slick sensation and heat made Levi groan, head dropping to rest in the curve of Eren's neck. “Fuck, you feel good...”

“Yes, Levi, yes...” Eren's free hand tangled in Levi's hair and tilted his head so their lips met. Levi tugged gently on the lip ring and Eren bucked up into him, grinding them together even harder. The ungodly sound he made sent a thrill straight to Levi's cock and he gripped that much tighter, thrust that much faster.

Harsh panting and low noises of pleasure filled the room as they writhed against each other, lost in the feelings assaulting them from every direction.

“Levi, Levi, Levi...” Eren chanted his name like a prayer as his body heated. “I'm so close... fuck...”

The older man leaned down to whisper in Eren's ear. “Me, too... come for me, love.” Eren's body tightened underneath him and, with a deft twist of his hand, Levi pushed him over the edge. Working him through it, Levi felt pressure gather at the base of his spine as Eren's cock twitched and pulsed against his own.

Shining green eyes met his and Levi only had a second to take in the adoring, blissed out gaze of his lover before he came, their releases mixing together and smearing over his hand and their stomachs.

Levi shuddered under the delicate caress of callused fingertips on his sensitive skin. Eren smiled up at him softly. “I love you so goddamned much, Levi.”

He muttered his reply against the brunet's lips. “Me, too, brat. Me, too.”

.

.

.

A loud noise startled Levi and he sat straight up, blankets falling to his waist. His phone screeched again and he swiped blindly to turn off the alarm. Falling back against the pillows, he threw an arm over his eyes and willed his heartbeat to slow.

“What the fuck was that...”

Softly cursing at himself, Levi crawled out of his bed and grimaced at the sticky mess coating the inside of his boxer briefs. Not only had he had a wet dream like a fucking horny teenager, the dream had featured Eren. And they hadn't even fucked, just rubbed their dicks together.

In the bathroom he stripped off the soiled underwear and stepped into the shower, cranking the water temperature up until the room resembled a sauna. Scrubbing himself from head to toe, he tried to dismiss the memories of his dream. Tried.

After their inadvertently sexually charged hug from last night, his mind had been filled with Eren. Images of Eren moving below him. The texture of impossibly soft skin. Emerald eyes, pupils blown out in lust, shining with emotion. Swollen lips that Levi didn't have to imagine the taste of... It was no surprise he had a wet dream with thoughts like that swimming in his head.

Closing his eyes, Levi gave into the inevitable and palmed his cock, finishing himself off again with brisk efficiency. Physically satisfied but utterly disgusted with himself, he washed away the evidence of his perversions and dried off, only then noticing he forgot to bring a change of clothes with him. Mentally smacking himself, he shaved and brushed his teeth, running through the rest of his routine as usual.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door only to jerk backwards, barely avoiding running face first into Eren. His dream roared back the forefront, not that it had left him alone yet, and his gaze ran over the bare chest of the teen. Eren wore only a loose pair of sleeping pants that barely hung on his hips. As he forced his eyes back to the brunet's face, he saw that Eren stared unabashedly at his body. More specifically, at the point where skin disappeared behind the towel wrapped around him.

Levi cleared his throat and Eren's gaze returned to his face. One hand raised to ruffle an already messy mop of hair. “H- hey. I was-” Eren cleared his throat and audibly swallowed. “I was just about to make breakfast. Any requests?”

“Surprise me.”

“Okay...”

When he trailed off, Levi raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I just... I wanted to apologize for yesterday and-”

“Eren. We can have this discussion when I'm not naked.”

The teen's eyes darted back down to Levi's hips and he stuttered out an apology, cheeks bright red. Levi watched as Eren went out to the kitchen and retreated to his own room, pushing the door shut behind him. His subconscious screamed for him to go out there, knock Eren to the floor and act out his dream, but Levi beat it into submission with pure willpower.

A few moments later he emerged, confident that his mind and libido were under control. Eren had already set a kettle of water to boil as he made pancakes, and they moved around each other easily in the small space of the kitchen as Levi poured himself a cup of tea.

Sitting at the bar, he crossed his legs and watched the teen cook. He hadn't bothered to put on a shirt and his skin was still slightly pink from earlier. Levi let his eyes wander over his roommate, wondering why he was so attracted to the brat.

If anyone had told him that one day he would take in a homeless charity case he would have laughed in their face. Granted, he had been a homeless charity case when he was a teen, but he wasn't required to pay it forward or anything. For some reason, though, he had taken a liking to Eren.

More than a liking, if he was honest with himself.

Still... Levi was well aware he wasn't the easiest person to get along with, let alone live with or be in a relationship with. He was moody, stubborn, and didn't put up with any shit. Every time he had been in a “relationship”, it had gone up in flames because of something he had done. His marriage had been the exception to that rule but, if Isabel was to be believed, he had driven her away. That would never excuse her actions, but he had to admit he may have played a small role in why she had decided to stray. But if she had told him something was wrong, he would have bent over backwards to try and fix it.

Speaking of bending over, Eren dropped something and Levi was momentarily gifted with a lovely view as he bent to pick whatever it was up.

He sighed into his cup when Eren was standing once again.

Eren.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but something drew him to the teen. Granted, he was far from unattractive even when he was on the verge of death and was now bordering on being straight-up hot, but there was more to it than looks. There was just something about his determination to fix his mistakes and get his shit together that made Levi want to help him. He understood Levi's dry sense of humor and, for the most part, knew when he just needed to be silent and relax.

A plate of food was placed in front of him, along with some butter and a bottle of syrup. Eren sat next to him a moment later and they dug in to the pancakes. Levi bit back a scoff when it occurred to him just how domestic they had become. Even though he had had to make some adjustments for him, Eren had fit almost seamlessly into his life. Sure, Levi still paid for everything, but Eren made it a point to be as unobtrusive as possible considering they spent almost every waking moment together.

Except when they slept, because the kid just wouldn't leave him the fuck alone then. He still had trouble accepting that he had come in his pants earlier like some puberty-stricken teenager.

“Levi?”

“Hm?”

He turned to look at Eren when there was no response. The younger man toyed with a bit of his pancake and stared at his plate like it would give him the answer to all of his problems. Levi couldn't help but appreciate how Eren bit the unpierced side of his lip and ached to do it himself.

“I, uh, I'm sorry for everything yesterday. I thought about it and you were right. You've done all of this for me and I had no right to assume that you'd put up with my friends, too.”

Eren finally looked over when Levi opened his mouth, but gave him a serious expression. “Please, just let me say this.” At his nod, Eren looked back down at his plate. “Mikasa was - _is_ \- wrong. I did a lot of thinking last night and I realized I have no right to ask anything of you. Like, ever. She's my sister but she seriously crossed a line and I'm not going to let her do it again.”

“She has every right to be mad at me, they all do, but nobody should be saying things about you. You've done nothing to hurt me and everything to help. After everything, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you asked me to leave, and I wouldn't blame you for it.”

“Eren,” Levi cut his next words off, “I'm not going to ask you to leave. And I have no problem with most of your friends. But I'm not going to tolerate her attitude in my home or work. Like I said, if it was just Armin, he could even stay here if you both wanted.”

“I know, I know. It's just hard, you know? I want to have both of them in my life again and rebuild what I broke and I know Armin likes you but... I can't choose between you and Mikasa.”

“I'm not asking you to.”

Eren heaved a sigh. “I know _you_ aren't.”

His distraught face hit Levi like a punch to the gut. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned softly. This kid was going to be the death of him. “Fine. You win.”

At his words Eren met his eyes once more, visibly confused. “What?”

“If she apologizes to me, and I mean an actual apology and not some lame 'sorry you were offended by the truth' bullshit, she can come to the shop.” He held up one finger when Eren grinned. “But she is not, and never will be, welcome in my home. That I totally refuse to budge on, so don't ever even fucking think of asking.”

“Seriously?”

Levi gave him a look. “Don't make me say it again. I'm already regretting this.”

He had just enough time to put his cup down before strong arms wrapped around him. Having already given into temptation several times that morning, it was no hardship to inhale Eren's clean scent and enjoy the feeling of bare skin against his clothes and under his fingertips as he returned the embrace.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you...”

Eren's low voice rumbled against his chest. Levi involuntarily closed his eyes when Eren rested his forehead in the crook of his neck, warm breath ghosting over the sensitive skin as he thanked Levi over and over again.

Finally gathering the willpower to do so, Levi gently pushed back and Eren released him, smiling widely. Levi rolled his eyes. “Don't make me regret this more than I already do, brat.”

“I promise! I won't let her say or do anything even when you aren't around!”

“Tch, whatever.” His eyes traveled over Eren as they had countless times already. “Go get dressed. We've got a long day ahead of us and I'm not letting you slack like you did yesterday.”

Green eyes flicked down to Levi's mouth and just as quickly away. Part of him realized Eren was fighting the urge to kiss him again. That same part wanted him to do it.

“Okay. I'll be ready in a few.” Eren chugged the rest of his juice and left the room. Levi's eyes followed him the entire way. As he got up to clean the dishes, one thought popped to the front of his mind.

He was totally, completely, one-hundred percent fucked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com), how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...  
> 1) Fangirling  
> 2) Yaoi  
> 3) Random Funny Shit


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin is done with your bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, so much love! I can't handle it! I've been writing fanfiction for close to ten years and I can say that this story has gotten the best response out of anything I've ever written, by far. It's humbling to think that so many people enjoy my take on the show and these characters. I say it every chapter and I mean it more and more each time: You guys are beyond awesome and I love you more than I can express.
> 
> Now that that's said, here's a special update. Armin POV, whhhaaaaattt? There are four things you need to know about this chapter:
> 
> 1) This chapter is actually the reason I went back and updated all the one-sentence summaries, just so I could use this line.  
> 2) Armin is no longer an awkward coconut. This is how I see him at twenty. [Here](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com/post/142975048275/marcosbudtart-beach-selfie-with-older-armin) and [here](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com/post/142975202945/asexualnatsume-behold-older-armin-source). Yum.  
> 3) He took this chapter and ran away with it. This entire fic almost turned into 'The Armin Show' because he didn't want to give back control.  
> 4) Never insult Armin's intelligence. _Never_.
> 
>  
> 
> ***Please read the end notes.***

 

Armin contemplated the pencil in his right hand as Mikasa muttered under her breath. If he used the proper amount of force at the correct angle, he could use the point to rupture his eardrums without actually killing himself. Then again, he was an excellent lip reader and all of his friends knew it, so Mikasa would just make sure she was in his line of sight as she continued complaining about Eren and Levi. If the rest of the weekend was anything like the hellish train ride he would be sorely tempted to leave her in Mitras.

Internally chastising himself for the unkind thought, he stared blankly at the woman. She noticed and cut off her latest tirade with an annoyed huff. “Mikasa, you need to stop this.”

“I'm getting it out of my system before I see that fucking freak.”

Closing his eyes, he sighed through his nose. “Do you ever want to talk to Eren again?”

“If that short asshole thinks he can keep Eren away from me, he has another thing coming.”

“Levi won't have a single thing to do with it.”

Lip curling, she scoffed. “The hell he wouldn't! That prick-”

“Goddammit, you need to stop this shit, now!” Her mouth slammed shut as Armin glared at her. “Don't you see that you're driving Eren away with all of this? Levi doesn't have anything to do with it. If he stops talking to you, it will be completely your fault.”

Brows knitted together, Mikasa pulled her ever-present scarf over her mouth and crossed her arms as she stared out the window, suddenly finding the scenery enthralling.

He felt bad snapping at her, but he was tired of hearing it. For nearly thirteen hours he had been subjected to her increasingly angry words. That wasn't even counting the constant stream of phone calls and texts he had gotten since Eren reappeared after he fell off the face of the planet. Without question, Armin was one of the more level-headed people he knew and had more patience than any one person should have, but he was sick of it. Everyone knew that when he got genuinely upset that they had crossed a serious line. The only people who kept their temper better than him were Marco, who had the kindest disposition on the planet and more patience than should be humanly possible, and Bertl, who had such severe anxiety that he was just now learning how to function in society without Reiner as a buffer.

That said, he was fed up with her attitude. Since they had spoken with Eren over Skype the first time, it was impossible to hold anything remotely resembling a normal conversation with her. Every subject, no matter how innocuous or far-removed, eventually turned toward Levi and how she was going to save Eren from the pervert holding him against his will.

Part of Armin sincerely regretted telling Mikasa about the conference. She had invited herself along immediately, already planning ways to drag Eren back to Shingansina. But if he had just said he was going out of town for some other reason and only told her when he got back, she would never forgive him. As much as he wanted her to shut up about the situation, he didn't want to lose her as a friend.

A speaker crackled to life and informed the passengers that the train would be arriving in Mitras in approximately five minutes. People began moving around, putting their belongings away and gathering their luggage. Armin threw his book and pencil back into his bag and pulled on the winter coat and gloves thrown on the seat next to him. Spring might have been coming soon, but it was still the beginning of February and cold as balls outside.

The two teachers in charge of the small group got their attention and gave out instructions for when they got to the terminal. Mikasa would be forced to use her own bus or taxi to get to the hotel, since she wasn't technically part of the group. She also had to pay for her own hotel room. Armin wasn't quite sure where she had come up with the money to pay for it, but he had a feeling that she'd be paying off her credit card for a long time.

Armin followed the teachers as they led the way to the shuttle to the hotel, Mikasa trailing behind him. He couldn't help but resign himself to the nearly palpable dark aura emanating from her. She was going to be mad the entire time they were here and therefore damn near impossible to take on the return journey. She jumped into a taxi idling behind the white shuttle bus and soon the group was on their way.

When they got to the hotel, Armin and Derek were assigned to the same room while Lydia and Rashad were to share the second, and the two teachers, the third. Their rooms were all in a row on the fourth floor, and Mikasa's was located on the second floor on the far side of the building.

Armin sent Eren a text to let him know they were at the hotel and the response was immediate, saying that they should meet up in an hour for dinner. Mikasa responded in the group conversation as well, agreeing to it. After getting the address from Eren, Armin left the room to speak with the teachers. There weren't many rules for the weekend, only that if you were going somewhere to let the teachers know when you would be back and leave a contact number in case of emergency. That, and show up and behave properly for the panels on Saturday. Other than that, the four students were free to roam the city as they wanted until they left Sunday evening.

Armin got to the lobby before Mikasa and asked the concierge to call a taxi for them. A few minutes later both Mikasa and the cab arrived, and the pair set out to the restaurant. Mikasa stared straight forward, not bothering to make conversation, but Armin was all wide-eyed wonder as he took in the city.

He wasn't unfamiliar with cities, but Mitras absolutely dwarfed Trost in every way. The buildings were bigger, there were so many more of them, there were people everywhere, and it was just... _more_. The address of the restaurant was on the other side of the city, so he had a while to take in the atmosphere. Armin had always had a case of wanderlust, but this just reignited his urge to travel all over again. Once he got out of school and made a name for himself, he wanted to travel all over the world, teaching willing students and healing those who needed it and discovering everything there was to discover.

Mikasa elbowed him when the cab stopped and he dug out his wallet to pay the driver. They stepped out of the vehicle and just as it pulled away Armin was hit with a hug that nearly knocked him to the ground.

“Armin! I'm so glad to see you!”

Wrapping his arms around the other boy, Armin grasped him just as desperately. “Eren! God, have I missed you!”

Another set of arms embraced the pair and Eren sighed in contentment. “Mikasa...”

They stood that way for a while, just basking in each others presence until someone cleared their throat and a deep voice spoke. “This is cute and all, but let's go inside. It's fucking freezing out here.”

Mikasa stiffened and it took a minute for Eren to pull out of her grip. For the first time Armin noticed Levi, who flicked a cigarette butt into the gutter and took a step toward the little group. He nodded at the blond, who closed the distance between them and held his hand out. Levi took it and nodded once more. “It's good to meet you, Armin.”

“You, too, Levi. Thanks in advance for putting up with me this weekend.”

“No problem.” His eyes flicked over Armin's shoulder and back. Voice lowered, Levi raised an eyebrow. “There aren't going to be any problems, right?”

Risking it, Armin glanced back to see Eren and Mikasa in a heated discussion. Both looked equally stubborn about whatever the subject was. Mikasa's eyes narrowed dangerously and the blond turned back around to face Levi. “Not from me. I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises to keep her in check.”

“Fucking wonderful. Couldn't have come alone, could you?”

Armin recognized the deadpan snark and huffed a single, tiny laugh. The corner of Levi's lip curled slightly before he reverted to an annoyed face and addressed the others. “Oi, brat. Let's get inside before our balls freeze off.”

Eren rolled his eyes and said one more thing to Mikasa before heading inside the recessed door. The rest of them followed and soon found themselves seated near the back of a quaint little Italian place. Levi and Eren sat on one side of the booth, with Mikasa and Armin opposite. Anger rolled off of the girl in furious waves as she stared at the man across from her. Levi ignored the glares and perused the menu calmly.

When the waitress came and asked for their drink orders, the three students got water and soda while Levi ordered some red wine. When the waitress left, Mikasa scoffed. “She didn't even card you? You look like you should be in middle school.”

Armin dropped his head into his hands, Eren glared, and Levi smirked. “You need to work on your insults, little girl. Either I'm an old pervert or I'm a little kid in grade school. Can't have it both ways.” When she opened her mouth to retort, he kept going. “I thought you had to be smart to get into college. Oh, that's right, you got in on athletics. All brawn, no brains. Shame you aren't even good enough to get a full ride out of it.”

Both Eren and Armin's eyes widened. These two were pulling no punches. At the same time they both turned to their seatmates to try and calm them down. He could hear Eren saying something to Levi, but he was focused on Mikasa, who seemed to be barely restraining the urge to vault the table to get her hands on Levi. “What did I tell you on the train, huh? And the first thing you do is start shit?”

“He started it.”

Jaw dropping, he blinked at her. “Are you freaking serious right now?”

“He started it when he came here and sat next to Eren. Nobody wants him here, anyway.”

Armin opened his mouth to tell her just how insane she was being when a small motion caught his attention. Levi made eye contact and shook his head slightly, then raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth from Eren to Mikasa. The tension heightened as the waitress delivered their drinks, took in the uncomfortable atmosphere, and said she would give them a few more minutes to decide.

When the waitress was a reasonable distance away, Eren hissed at Mikasa. “What did I just tell you? I'm glad I get to see you but if you only came out here to start shit or try to drag me back with you, you might as well have not even come.”

“There's nothing for you here. Your life is back home, with us.”

“You have it backwards. My life is here, now. I've finally found what I want to do with my life and I'm starting a career here. We've talked about this.”

Armin slouched down in his seat, not wanting to be part of this conversation. As much as he had wanted things to go well, he knew that this was about as good as it was going to get. It was all downhill from this point. He noticed Levi lean back and swirl his glass of wine, eyes following the conversation like he was watching a tennis match.

“I'm not leaving you here with _him_.”

“Well, I'm not leaving here with _you_ , so I guess you're stuck.”

Levi sighed loudly and put his glass down. “Are you idiots really going to do this here? You do realize we're in public.”

Eren blinked and looked around the small room at the several other people dining. Clenching his jaw, he picked up the menu and flipped through it, ending his part in the argument instantly. Mikasa, however, made no attempt to do the same.

“Shut the fuck up, you midget. Nobody asked you.”

“Someone has to be the adult here.” Even though his voice was level, the anger was plain.

Mikasa curled her lip. "Maybe that someone should also be the size of an adult."

The table descended into an uncomfortable silence and the waitress returned. “Is everything okay over here? I'm sorry, but I'm going to have ask you all to keep it down. You're beginning to disturb the other patrons. If you're all ready to order...”

“My apologies,” Levi said. “I'll have the eggplant parmigiana. And is it possible to get my meal to go?”

“Of course, sir.”

Eren met her eyes next. “The beef carpaccio, please. If it's no trouble, please, make mine to go also.”

She looked at each of them in turn. “Should I go ahead and have all of these made to go, then?”

Armin sighed. “Yes, thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It's alright. What can I get for you?”

Armin and Mikasa put in their orders for seafood pasta and the atmosphere turned awkward all over again when the waitress left. Levi stretched his arm along the back of the booth and sighed. “Well, this was fun.”

“Would have been if you weren't here.”

Groaning, Armin let his head fall backwards. “God, Mikasa, just drop it. You don't like him, we get it. Everyone in the restaurant gets it. I'm sure people on the other side of the city get it. Just stop.”

Her head whipped towards the blond. “Are you actually going to sit there and defend him?”

“When you're being irrational, yes.”

“I'm not being irrational. As a matter of fact, I think I'm the only one thinking straight around here. You're all being stupid.” Eren sucked in a breath at her words and Armin's vision tinted red around the edges.

Clenching his teeth to keep his voice down, Armin grabbed the side of the table to ground himself. “Don't you ever, and I mean _ever_ , call me stupid again, Mikasa.”

Realizing she had just made a big mistake, she fiddled with her scarf. “Armin, I didn't-”

“I have put up with this shit for too long, Mikasa. You've done nothing but bitch and moan and complain about Eren and Levi since that first night. You're the one being an idiot about this whole thing. Levi is good for Eren and everyone sees that except for you. We've all been friends since kindergarten and I get wanting to look out for each other but this is ridiculous. You're crossing all sorts of lines and it is _not_ okay. Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I have a fun fact for you, Eren,” he turned towards the brunet and gave him an apologetic smile. “You know how I work part-time in the registrar's office?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikasa stiffen, but he was done dealing with all of this bullshit. It wasn't Eren's fault, and it certainly wasn't Levi's, and it wasn't necessarily Armin's place to say anything, but he had found out something slightly disturbing the day before leaving.

Eren nodded at the question and Mikasa started to say his name, but Armin was on a roll and talked right over her. “Guess who filed an intent-to-transfer form. And guess where the new university is located.”

Face blank in shock, Eren looked at Mikasa, who had pulled the scarf so far up that her eyes were barely visible. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

When there was no answer, Eren took a deep breath and stood. “I need some fresh air. I'll be just outside.” Without another word he grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

“Armin?” He looked at Levi, who swallowed the last bit of his wine and grabbed his coat. “Will you get our food? I'll take care of the check.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. We'll be out there.”

When Levi was gone, Mikasa turned to him. Her expression was a strange mixture of sadness, anger, and betrayal. “How could you tell them?”

“How could you not?”

Without waiting for her response, he bundled up and went to the hostess station. Their waitress stood there, messing with the cash register. He gave her an apologetic smile. “I am so sorry about all that.”

“It's okay. Not the first time people have gotten into it in a restaurant.”

“Still, we didn't make it easy on you. He paid, right? Did he at least give you a good tip for all the trouble we caused?”

At that she smiled for real. “Yes, thank you for asking. He was very generous, considering I did almost nothing for you.”

A dark presence came up behind him and he didn't have to look to know that it was Mikasa. A moment later the food came out, each meal packed in an individual bag. After thanking her again, he walked outside, Mikasa following. Levi stood a little way down the block, leaning against the building and smoking.

Armin made his way to the older man but didn't see Eren. Answering the unspoken question, Levi jerked his head towards the alley next to him. “He's cooling off.”

Looking around the corner, Armin watched as Eren paced near the dead end of the well-lit alley. Fists clenched, puffs of steam showed his heavy breathing and every so often he would kick a pile of snow. Levi took the bags from him and Armin slowly approached his friend.

“Hey, man. You okay?”

“No, Armin, I'm not fucking okay.” Eren stopped pacing to run gloved hands through his hair. “She wants to fucking move out here, too? She'll lose her scholarship! And what, then she'll harass me and Levi until I move in with her and stop my apprenticeship? What the fuck is she thinking?”

“I don't know. But you need to calm down. You know how you are when you get upset like this.”

He let out a heavy breath and slumped a bit. “I know.” He looked at Armin sheepishly. “You know I'm not mad at you for telling me, right?”

“Yeah, I know. Come on. Let's go figure this mess out.”

With a curt nod, Eren followed Armin back to the street where Mikasa glared angrily at Levi while he completely ignored her presence. The blond noticed that Levi only held three bags now, the fourth in Mikasa's hands. Her eyes snapped to Eren when he emerged, instantly softening.

“Eren-”

He held up a hand. “No, Mikasa. I'm not doing this with you. I'm not fighting with you right now. I'm also not going back to Shingansina, not quitting my job, not letting you move here and lose your scholarship like a total fucking idiot, and not leaving Levi unless he asks me to.”

“Not happening, brat.” His voice was low, but loud enough to be heard. Mikasa growled and took a step forward, but halted instantly when Eren moved in front of her.

“It was nice to see you, Mikasa. I really wish things had gone better, but it is what it is. Now, go home. Go back to Shingansina.”

“Not without you, Eren.”

The emotion in her voice made Eren take a deep breath and his next words, although harsh, were said gently. “My place is here, now. With Levi, whether or not you like it. You're my sister. I'll always love you... I just wish I could like you right now.”

Tears welled in Mikasa's eyes and she whispered something. Eren's reply was just as soft. Armin nudged Levi and the pair moved a little further down to give them some privacy. Levi lit another cigarette and breathed a stream of smoke through his nostrils before looking towards Armin. “He has no idea she's in love with him, does he?”

Armin shook his head. “She has been for as long as I can remember, and he has no clue.”

“Stupid.”

The soft word held a lot of complicated emotion and Armin eyed Levi. “You like him, too, don't you?”

“Sure, kid. He's a good roommate and a decent apprentice. What's not to like?”

“Alright, play dumb if you want. But if you ever want to be with him, don't hint about it. You need to tell it to him straight or he won't get it.”

Levi turned to fully face Armin, eyebrows raised. “What exactly are you implying?”

“I'm not an idiot. You don't seem to be, either. Those two,” he pointed past Levi at Eren and Mikasa, “are total dumbasses about this stuff. Mikasa thinks nobody knows she's in love with him and he has no idea that she is.” When Levi didn't say anything, Armin sighed. “Fine, don't believe me. That's on you. But he's into you like crazy. Don't forget how long I've known him. I've seen him in relationships and around people he crushed on. He's _way_ into you, and from the looks I've seen you give him when he isn't looking, you seem into him, too.”

With a big shrug, he sighed. “But hey, it's your life and you'll do what you want. That's all good. I know I've said you guys would get along well and I still stand by that. As much as Eren talks about you, I feel like I know you already and you guys would be great together.”

“Armin...”

He grinned widely. “Besides, wait until he's back to normal. His ass is to die for.”

“I'm surrounded by fucking brats.”

Armin couldn't help the laughter in his voice. “As long as you're with Eren, you better get used to it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Stuff: How did you guys like Armin's chapter? Would you like to see more POVs from other character's perspectives? I'm genuinely curious about this and need your input. I can take this narrative one of two ways, and would like your opinion. The primary focus will stay Ereri, but how would you feel about seeing their developing relationship from an outside perspective? I'm in the midst of writing another chapter and need to know if you all found this jarring to be put in someone else's POV for a bit, or if it's something you might like to see again. It won't affect their relationship or the story itself, just how it's presented. Please leave a comment and let me know or, if you're uncomfortable with that, please message me on [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) if you'd prefer. Thank you so much for your input.
> 
> For more goodies, visit my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback about POV characters in the last chapter. I really, really appreciate it.
> 
> This is a short one, so let's get right to it. Enjoy!

Levi cursed at his alarm before hitting snooze and rolling back over. He had no desire to get up and face the day. After the debacle at dinner last night he just wanted to stay under his warm blankets and not move for a week or two. He may have snarked back a few times when that bitch called him out, but maintaining his calm had taken quite a bit out of him.

If he hadn't promised Eren that he would attempt to be nice...

On the other hand, though, he was glad to see that other people thought Mikasa was being insane. Armin, even though he was a nosy little bastard, seemed to wholeheartedly approve of him and whatever this... thing... was between him and Eren.

After the little showdown by the alley, the pair had hailed a taxi back to their hotel. Levi was glad to see Mikasa walk away, even if he did have the childish urge to throw a snowball at the back of her head. Armin, though, begged off of staying with them longer due to his conference in the morning. He did promise Eren to give him a call when he was done for the day so they could hang out more.

When his alarm went off again, he swore loudly and rolled out of his cocoon of warmth, rushing through the chilled air and into his usual sauna-level shower. When he felt ready to face the day, he went out to the living area to see Eren listlessly poking around in a bowl of cereal. He looked up and gave Levi the worst imitation of a smile the man had ever seen.

“Morning, Levi. Hope you don't mind, but I really didn't feel like cooking today.”

“It's fine.” He grabbed a protein bar and an apple, taking his customary seat next to the teen. They ate silently until Eren spoke up hesitantly.

“I'm sorry. About yesterday. Mikasa and all. That was... yeah. But Armin likes you, so...”

Levi swallowed the bite he was chewing and nodded, not looking at him. “It went about as well as I thought it would, honestly. Her trying to move out here... didn't quite expect that.”

“Yeah.”

Silence reigned again until Levi was done with his makeshift breakfast and moved to throw the remnants away. Eren still poked at his cereal, the formerly crispy bits nothing more than a bunch of soggy lumps floating in milk.

“Are you going to finish that or are you waiting for it to completely dissolve?”

Eren sighed. “I'm done, I guess.” He stood and picked up the bowl. “I'll get the dishes today since I didn't make anything.”

“No, you won't. Go sit on the couch, I want to talk to you.”

It was a sign of how out of it Eren was that he didn't even flinch at the impending conversation. Really, Levi wasn't totally sure what he wanted to say. All he knew was that he needed to snap the kid out of his funk. If he went into work acting like that he wouldn't do anyone any good and, when the inevitable questions were asked, he would be a mess.

Instead of actually washing the dishes, Levi just rinsed them really well before heading to the couch. Eren sat in the middle, elbows on his knees, staring at nothing. Levi sat to the side, back against the arm so he fully faced Eren.

“What's wrong?”

Eren's head slowly turned to look at Levi, his face twisted in a look of incredulity. “Really? Don't mess around right now, Levi. I'm not in the mood.”

“I know that, idiot. I also know what happened yesterday. I was kind of there the entire time. I want to know exactly what's making you act like your fucking pet just died.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked as Eren faced forward once again. “Everything. You were there.”

“Can you be a little more specific?”

“No, I fucking can't, Levi!” Eren exploded into motion, whipping around to stare at him, hands waving wildly as he raised his voice. “Everything went wrong yesterday! Mikasa started shit, we fought in the middle of a fucking restaurant, she's still insisting on bringing me back to Shingansina, and if that doesn't work, she wants to ruin her life by moving the fuck out here! Even Armin got upset and he's got the patience of a goddamn saint! So, no, Levi, I can't be more specific because everything fucking sucks right now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? OKAY? What the hell about this whole thing is okay, Levi?”

“Well, you got to see them in person after over a year and a half. It's obvious that they still care about you immensely. You stood up for yourself and are beginning to make Mikasa see that you're capable of doing things on your own. Armin is totally on your side. And you aren't tied up and gagged in her luggage, so there's that.”

Eren stared at him blankly and Levi looked away, cursing himself. He sucked at this whole comforting thing. He should never have thought that he could cheer someone up with his sparkling fucking personality.

A strange noise made him turn back to Eren and his eyes widened. The brunet had a hand over his mouth, stifling laughter. His face was an interesting shade of red as he tried to breathe through his nose. A loud snort escaped and the barrier broke. “Oh my god! Levi! I can't even... tied up in her luggage... freckled jesus... what the fuck!”

The broken sentences came out between laughs and snorts and Eren trying to catch his breath. Levi had to smile. The kid looked ridiculous. And adorable. And ridiculously adorable.

And, holy shit, did the phrase 'ridiculously adorable' really just cross his mind?

Eren slowly calmed down, but he still smiled when he looked at Levi. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“You done moping around, then?”

“Mostly,” Eren shrugged. “I mean, until we can sit down and talk I won't be content with the whole Mikasa thing, but I'm okay right now.”

“Good.”

“Levi... can I...?”

Used to Eren's halting words, he just nodded and opened his arms, knowing what was coming. Eren scooted between Levi's legs and wrapped his arms around the older man's middle. Levi settled one hand around his shoulders, the other carding through the soft mop of brown hair. Whenever Eren felt unsure about something or his emotions got the better of him, he always needed a bit of physical contact to calm and relax him all the way. Levi had no problem with this little quirk, as long as it was just the two of them.

Eren snuggled into his chest and Levi could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. It was doubly unfortunate because not only did it draw attention to what he had been denying himself for the entire time Eren had been with him, but also because the teen's ear rested on the left side of his chest. There was no way he didn't hear Levi's pulse speed up.

“Levi?”

_Oh, god._

“Are you okay?”

_Shit, shit, shit..._

“Your heart is going really fast...”

“...I'm fine.”

Eren turned slightly to raise up on his knees, hovering over Levi just a bit. “Are you sure? Your face is kind of red, too.”

When Eren had moved, the hand in his hair slid down to his neck. The one around his shoulders had completely fallen away. Green eyes searched his face in concern, lips slightly parted. God, was this little shit beautiful. Armin's words from the day before came back to him.

 _...He's into you like crazy. Don't forget how long I've known him. I've seen him in relationships and around people he crushed on. He's_ way _into you, and from the looks I've seen you give him when he isn't looking, you seem into him, too..._

Throwing caution to the wind, Levi raised his free hand to cup Eren's cheek. The hand against his neck curled gently so his fingers just brushed the nape. Realization dawned on Eren's face at the motion and his pupils dilated, irises darkening to a deep emerald.

“I've never been better, Eren.”

Eren leaned in as Levi guided his descent. When their lips touched, the rest of the world fell away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *fangirl squeals and flailing*
> 
> Come flail with me on my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now he can die happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. The response to the last chapter was amazing, so, in thanks, I'm posting this one a couple days earlier than I had planned. You guys are so awesome with all of your kind words and kudos. I love you all so much.
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren spent most of the day on cloud nine.

When he had first woken up he had been miserable. The disastrous meal and the aftermath replayed in his mind, over and over again. It hurt in so many ways. Seeing the two of them again, feeling their warm embrace... it was amazing. And then Levi had spoken up and everything went to shit.

Not that he was blaming any of it on Levi, not at all.

But even though he had made plans with Armin after his conference, he couldn't stop thinking about Mikasa and the things she had whispered to him while Levi and Armin had their own conversation a little ways away.

_I miss you._

_Come back with me, please._

_I can't do this without you._

_I love you._

_I need you._

_I love you._

_I'm in love with you._

He shouldn't have been surprised by that, but he was. He had never really hidden the fact that he was gay and had zero interest in the feminine form, so for her to be in love with him was a shock. But looking back, it was impossible to miss all of the hints that she was hoping to convert him or, at the very least, form some sort of platonic marriage or something.

Regardless, he turned down her advances and stuck to his guns. Even though it felt good to stand up for himself, he would never forget her devastated expression. Seeing his sister in that much pain was like a physical blow. But despite that, he knew it was for the best. She needed to move on. She needed to find someone who could love her back in the way she deserved to be loved, love her in the way he could never give her.

All of that led to him feeling like death warmed over that morning. Then Levi had said something asinine about being tied up and gagged and it was like the sun had broken through the clouds. Even though he felt like a child every time he asked for a hug, Levi never turned him down. This time had been different, though.

Ear flat against his strong chest, he could hear the erratic pulse and feel the irregular breaths. Not daring to hope, he had asked Levi what was wrong... and then...

When Levi touched his cheek, something unfurled in Eren's chest and he had to bite back the urge to cheer out loud. Hooded eyes looked up at him seductively, with no trace of the hesitation that had been there every other time they had gotten this close. The cool fingertips against his nape sent a chill down his spine and without any doubts or fear of being rejected, he had leaned in to kiss the man.

If Eren had been happy about kissing Levi that first time, it was nothing compared to the pure elation coursing through him when the man returned the touch. Balancing himself with one hand on Levi's chest, the other on the arm of the couch, Eren lost himself in Levi's arms.

Strong hands gently tilted his head for a better angle and when Eren let out a tiny moan, Levi's tongue swept inside and swallowed the noise. As if that was his signal, Levi moved and Eren suddenly found their positions reversed. He laid on his back, legs open as Levi slithered over Eren's prone form to reconnect their lips. Wrapping his arms around the older man, Eren arched into the wandering touches.

“Fuck, Eren...” Words murmured into Eren's mouth were returned with noises of his own.

Levi broke the kiss again, this time to lick and nibble at his throat. One hand moved to cup the man's head, holding him to the sensitive skin, while the other worked its way to his hip. With soft nudges of his fingertips, their restless bodies fell into a slow rhythm.

“Levi... yes...”

This was it. Eren could die happy now. If the last thing he ever did was surrender to the sexual force that was Levi Ackerman, he was fine with that. More than fine. It would be perfect.

Levi suckled one of Eren's hot spots right under his ear and his body bucked upwards involuntarily. For all that they were rubbing themselves against each other, the act of grinding their groins together escalated their make-out into something more intense.

Eren slipped his hand underneath Levi's shirt, caressing the soft, smooth skin. Levi made a little happy noise and, using the hand in his hair, Eren brought Levi back up to his mouth. Levi attacked him with ferocity as Eren's fingertips teased just under the edge of his pants.

Stuttered moans and groans and aborted pleas for more filled the apartment as they finally gave into the tension that had been building for quite some time. Taking the opportunity, Eren reached down and did something he had wanted to do for ages, grabbing Levi's ass and digging his fingers into the soft flesh.

Nudging the collar of Eren's shirt aside with his nose, Levi bit into his collarbone. The sharp scrape of teeth mingled with tender swipes of his tongue had Eren writhing beneath him. When Levi pulled away Eren whimpered.

“Eren...”

“Noooo, come back here.”

Levi smirked down at him and Eren bit his lip at the sight. His hair was just as messy as Eren's usually was, his lips swollen, his cheeks tinged a delicate pink, and his eyes dark with lust. Add to that his heavy breathing and the half-erection that still pressed against Eren's, and the teen was more than ready to strip right then and let Levi have his way with him.

Closing his eyes, Levi took a deep breath and moved back, getting off of Eren. Groaning in disappointment, Eren sat up, too. “You're the boss. Can't we just take the day off and stay right here?”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “I'm the boss, so I have to set a good example. Besides, I have appointments and you're going to have to entertain your friend later.” He leaned in to blow a soft line of air up Eren's neck, making him shiver. “And,” he nearly crooned into his ear, “once I get you in bed you won't be leaving for a long time.”

“Dammit, Levi, you can't say shit like that and not back it up.”

Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I forgot instant gratification is your thing.”

“You call this instant? It's been like a month and a half! Maybe two months!”

“Do you trust me?”

Eren frowned. “Of course I do. Why?”

“Then trust me.” Levi pushed him against the back of the couch and slid into his lap, knees on either side of his hips. “Because take it from someone who has more experience than you...”

His head dipped down to lick a long line up Eren's throat, eliciting a needy moan from the teen. When their mouths were at the same level, Levi's voice dropped as he undulated in Eren's lap. “Building up to it is important. Anticipation makes the end result that much sweeter.”

“Fuck, Levi...”

The older man pulled back slightly, hips coming to a halt. “We aren't going to have sex right now. When we do, just because you want it so badly, I'm going to draw it out as long as possible so you learn how good it can be to wait.”

Groaning, Eren let his head fall back. “I'm going to die.”

Levi chuckled and when Eren looked at him again he had a genuine, sensual smile on his face. “You might feel like it now, but wait until I get my hands on you.”

With that parting shot, Levi stood once more, swinging his slim legs off of the couch. Eren watched his sinuous movements and longed to get up and wrap himself around Levi, but knew that it would do him no good. His gaze followed Levi to the hallway.

Grey eyes turned to him, one brow raised. “If you're done eye-fucking me, I suggest you get dressed. We're running a little behind schedule.”

On their way to the studio, Levi laid out a few rules. Work and home needed to be kept separate. They could fuck like rabbits at home but at Legion, Levi was the boss and Eren was the apprentice. Also, he wasn't a fan of PDA, so he made Eren to promise to not do anything where people could see them. He also made it clear that he wanted to keep it quiet from everyone who worked at Legion.

By the end of his spiel, Eren's former excitement had gone out the window. He could understand the work and home rule, but the rest of it sounded like he was going to be some dirty little secret that Levi was ashamed of. When he voiced his thoughts, Levi furrowed his brow and dragged him into the closest alley.

Eren found himself pressed up against cold brick, Levi inches from him, one finger poking the center of his chest. “I'm only going to say this once, you little shit. I'm a private person. I don't like the thought of some random stranger walking down the street and seeing us making out near a fucking streetlight. I don't want to bring things up to the other artists because nothing is for sure yet. It would only make things awkward and uncomfortable if whatever this thing is between us doesn't work out. It also doesn't work with the whole work and home separation. I am your boss and teacher there, and anything changing can and will affect that.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Eren smiled. “Why didn't you just explain it the first time?”

“Because I didn't realize your head is as hard as your cock was this morning.” Eren blushed and Levi gave him a heated look. “I don't share, brat. I'm a selfish bastard and I want this thing to be just ours for a little while. Okay?”

That was actually kind of a sweet sentiment. Eren leaned down to peck him softly on the lips. “Okay. I get it.” Entwining his fingers with Levi's, he exited the alley and allowed him to pull away once they were moving down the street again.

At Legion the day went as usual, the only difference being that since it was getting close to Valentine's Day, lots of people came in wanting tattoos to honor their loved ones. Eren thought it was adorable until the shop hit a lull and Auruo scoffed in a way eerily similar to Levi.

“Idiots.”

“Why do you say that? I think it's nice they want to get names or couple tattoos.”

Auruo, even though he was an inch shorter than Eren, somehow managed to look down his nose at him. “The only names you should ever get inked are your kids or dead people. I guarantee in a few months a lot of the people we just saw will be getting those covered up. It's an unwritten rule; if you get your lover's name on your body, you've just doomed the relationship.”

Eren gave him a skeptical look. “That seems kind of pessimistic.”

“He's right.” Petra looked up from cleaning her station. “It sounds romantic, but I can't even tell you how many names I've had to cover up. Even the matching tattoos, the symbol ones? I'll never forget the one time a couple broke up and both had scheduled their cover ups at the same time. I did one and Gunther had the other. Talk about awkward.”

“Okay, so name tattoos are bad. Got it.”

“Not all of them. Like Auruo said, kids and memorials are great. Even getting something to honor your parents or grandparents while they're alive to see it is nice. As for relationships? Not the best idea.”

“What if they're soulmates or something?”

Erd had wandered over at this point and sighed heavily at Eren's question. “Listen, Eren. We're not here to babysit people. We're here to perform a service. If they want someone's name on them, we'll ask if they're absolutely sure and tell them about the possible downfalls, but we won't turn them away. If someone is dead set on getting something done, they're just going to go somewhere else to get it done if we don't do it. At the end of the day, this is a business, and we're not going to turn someone away just because we don't personally agree with their ideas.”

“So you don't turn down work, ever?”

Petra laughed. “Oh, hell yes, we do. One time a guy came in wanting Levi to do a swastika and he was literally thrown out on his ass.”

“Some guy wanted me to put a monkey around his bellybutton so it looked like it was the monkey's asshole.”

“A girl came in and wanted her first tattoo on her face. Nope.”

“One guy wanted to rent a machine and do his own tattoo in the shop.”

"There was that girl who wanted 'Anal Whore' on her chest."

“Remember that one guy who wanted candy cane stripes on his dick?”

Eren excused himself from the conversation when his phone dinged. Armin was done with his conference and, after heading to the hotel to change into something casual, would be on his way soon. Popping his head in the office, he saw Levi working on the next supply order. “Hey-”

“Come in and shut the door behind you.”

Blinking, Eren did so, closing them in the small room. “I just wanted to let you know Armin texted me. He just got done so he'll be here in a couple of hours.”

“Okay. Here, then.” Levi pulled a fifty out of his wallet and held it out.

Eren didn't reach for it. “Thanks, but I can't take that.”

“Yes, you can and will. You don't have any money and you want to show your friend around, right?” When he still didn't take it, Levi stood and backed Eren against the door. The teen swallowed back the urge to pull Levi to his chest and kiss him stupid. Of course, Levi noticed his expression.

“Don't even start that shit. Listen, I have more than enough money. If you want I'll tell you about it sometime, but not now. Take this and have a good time with Blondie.”

“Levi...”

“Close your eyes for a second.” Eren narrowed them in suspicion, but relented when Levi raised that damned eyebrow. Something settled around his neck and when warm hands moved away, Eren looked down. A silver key hung from a leather cord and it took a moment for the pieces to click together.

He blinked at Levi and smiled softly. “The apartment key.”

It wasn't a question, but Levi answered it like it was. “Yeah. It's dumb that you didn't have one. You live there, too.”

“Why a necklace, though?”

“Have you ever met you? You lose shit constantly.” Eren wanted to disagree just on principle, but Levi was right. He had a terrible tendency to misplace things.

Giving into temptation, Eren leaned down to press his lips to Levi's. He didn't push any further, knowing he would get in trouble for anything more, but he had a feeling that he could get away with this much. “Thank you.”

“Tch, shitty brat.”

Eren made to leave the room, stopping only when a strong hand pressed firmly against his chest. Levi held up the fifty dollar bill and waved it once before folding it and pressing it into the front pocket of Eren's jeans.

“If you won't take it, consider it a loan. Pay me back when you start making money.”

Rolling his eyes, Eren kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer than before. “Whatever you say, captain.”

He was almost fast enough to make it out of the room before Levi's hand connected with the back of his head.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, gotta have the [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) link at the end.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Needles and nosy friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Armin POV makes a triumphant return. I hope this chapter goes over as well as the first one did. He's super fun to get into and these chapters basically write themselves. 
> 
> No more talk, on to Armin! Enjoy!

Armin stepped out of the cab and looked up at the glowing blue and white wings on the window of the tattoo studio. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to Legion and stepped inside, nervous at what he was getting into but, at the same time, trusting in Eren's assertion that the place was wonderful.

The studio was well lit and colorful, even with the black furniture and counters. Rock music played at a comfortable volume and a low buzz hummed away in the back. Two people lounged on one of the sofas and the girl got up to greet him. The man studied him and rolled his eyes before flipping through a magazine.

“Hey, what can I help you with?” The girl couldn't have been much older than Armin himself, and she was a few inches shorter than him. She smiled invitingly and he returned the gesture. He had never cared too much for tattoos or piercings but she was gorgeous, and the things she had done only accentuated it.

“I'm here to see Eren, if he isn't busy.”

If anything, her smile got wider. “You must be Armin, then. I'm Petra. Come on back.” He followed her around the counter and into the back. Eyes wide, he looked around at the spotless room, taking in all of the art on the walls. On the right side of a wide aisle, Levi bent over a man laying on his side, etching a few words on his ribs. On the other side of the room, a man with blond hair pulled back into a bun eyed a girl's arm critically before carefully positioning a stencil.

“Hey, Levi?”

“What?” The man finished a line and looked up, noticing the two of them. “Oh, hey, Armin.”

“Hi, Levi.”

Petra looked like she wanted to ask how they knew each other, but held her tongue. “He's here to see Eren. Can I take him in the back or should I have him wait up front?”

Levi turned back to the tattoo. “He can stay with Eren if he wants. Just make sure the brat finishes his shit before they take off.”

He started following Petra, but stopped when Levi said his name. “Armin.”

“Yeah?”

“I don't have to tell you to not mess with anything back there, do I?” Levi's eyes were serious, his voice reinforcing that.

“Nope. I know better than that.”

“Good. And should I expect any more company this weekend?”

It didn't take a genius to realize he was referring to Mikasa. “I don't think so. She seemed pretty set on staying in for the next couple days.”

Huffing something that sounded like a sigh of relief, Levi went back to the mostly finished tattoo and Petra motioned for him to follow her. They walked into a small hallway with a few doors on either side. The first one on the right stood wide open and Armin followed the woman in.

A black table and a few chairs lined the far and left side of the room, with a counter on the right. Eren was on his knees, peering under the counter and counting something. “Eren, you've got a visitor.”

Grinning, he got up and stretched, joints popping. “Thanks, Petra.”

“He said you guys could hang out back here, but you need to finish everything before you leave.”

“Hey, Armin, wanna-”

“Nope. Not going to happen.” Petra cut off Eren's words and he groaned. “Hey, you wanted this, so you've got to learn it.”

“What's he doing?”

“Inventory of the piercing supplies.” Petra stretched up on her toes to ruffle Eren's hair and grinned. “Eren's the shop apprentice, so he's our little bitch now.”

Backing out of her reach, Eren grumbled and tried to fix his hair. “Come on, Petra. Really?”

“Oh, please. If I didn't pick on you, you'd think I didn't like you.”

“Don't you have someone else to pick on? A willing victim for your needles, maybe?”

She turned to Armin, who put up his hands in surrender. “I'm good. My teachers wouldn't be too happy if I came back from a med school trip with a ring in my nose.”

Narrowing her eyes, Petra looked Armin up and down appraisingly. He felt like a bug under a magnifying glass as she examined him. “Med school, huh? There's a lot of skin underneath a pair of scrubs, you know.”

A bell rang and Armin jumped at the sound. Eren nudged Petra when she didn't move. “Go on. Or are you really going to leave Auruo up there at the counter?”

Her eyes widened comically as she darted past Armin and back up front. Turning to Eren, he just blinked slowly. “What was that?”

“That was Petra. She thinks that everyone needs to have at least one thing done before they die and it's her mission to make it happen.”

“O- oh.”

“You want a drink or something while I finish this? Shouldn't be too long.”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

Eren led the way to another door and took him inside a small break room. A tiny table with two chairs filled most of the space, the rest taken up by a counter with a half-size fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker. A few cupboards and drawers held cups and silverware. Various snacks lived in one cupboard above the sink, and all of the space underneath the counter was filled with boxes of random supplies. Eren opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, tossing it to Armin.

“Not too bad, here, huh?”

Eren's voice was nonchalant, but Armin could easily tell just how badly he wanted his friend's approval. “From what I've seen, yeah.”

“Sweet. Come on, then. Tell me what you've been up to while I finish.”

Petra met them in the hallway, a tall, lanky man behind her. “Sorry, guys. Gotta kick you out of here for a bit.”

Eren had a weird expression on his face and Armin couldn't exactly decipher it. Petra gave him an apologetic smile. “Normally, I would ask him, but since your friend is here...”

“Ask me what?” The tall man spoke up and Petra explained about Eren being an apprentice, but she wouldn't ask him to put up with two people observing. “It's fine. I don't care either way.”

Eren turned to Armin and this time he had no problem reading the unspoken question and he shrugged. “Okay. I'm going to be doing stuff to people eventually anyway, so...”

They all piled into the piercing room, Petra shutting the door behind them. “Alright, Greg, you know the drill. Up on the table. You two, pull up a chair.”

Greg took off his shirt and all three men paid close attention as Petra explained exactly what she was doing at every step of the process. A few minutes later, Greg walked out the door with some knowledge and a new pair of nipple rings.

“Hey, Petra...”

She paused cleaning up her station to turn and point at Eren. “Nuh-uh. I know that tone. You need to finish the inventory and entertain your friend.”

“But-”

“Eren, you don't need to get everything done all at once, you know that, right? You're going to be here for a while, and I have no plans of going anywhere, so you don't need to get something done every time someone else gets it.”

Armin caught on and shook his head. “She's right, Eren. You have all the time in the world.”

“Now, you, on the other hand...” Petra turned towards him and he sighed. “You're only here today. So why don't you let me get my hands on you for a few minutes?”

Shaking his head, he stood up. “Let me think about it. Can I use your restroom?”

“Sure. It's the last door on the right.”

Armin exited the room as she and Eren struck up a conversation. He didn't pay attention to the subject, though, and locked the restroom door behind him. After taking care of pressing matters, he stared in the mirror as he washed his hands.

Was he really going to get something done?

Did he really _want_ to get something done?

Was this just peer pressure?

What if he said no, would they be mad?

What would he get done if he did get something?

Is this something a med student should even be considering?

Then again, he was a college sophomore. Shouldn't this be the time when he experimented? And it wasn't as if he couldn't take a piercing out if he changed his mind...

After drying his hands he turned this way and that, trying to figure out what, if anything, he would get done. Moving his hair, he thought about maybe getting his ears done, but that didn't seem very adventurous. Anywhere visible was out of the question due to his major. Besides, he just wasn't ready for something like that. There were only so many places he could get something done that wouldn't be visible... but did he really want to do something like this on a whim?

With a deep breath, he met his eyes in the mirror. Yes. Yes, he did. If he really hated it, at least he could say he'd done it. Not only that, but that he had it done by one of the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

When he returned to the piercing room, Petra and Eren both leaned against the counter, Eren making a few marks on the clipboard before setting it aside. Before Armin could say anything, Petra spoke. “I'm sorry if I was pushy. I didn't mean to be, I just get carried away sometimes. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want or aren't ready for.”

“It's okay. I'll do it.”

Two pairs of eyes widened and Eren's jaw dropped so quickly it popped. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” he said, rolling his eyes and smiling. “It's just a piercing, right? If I end up hating it, I'll just take it out. No big deal.”

Petra was all smiles as she looked up at him. He didn't realize until just then exactly how much shorter than him she was, even with her heeled boots. “So what are you getting done?”

“What's good for Greg is good for me, too, I guess.”

She grinned widely and pulled out the supplies once more. Stripping off his shirt, he was pleasantly surprised to see her eyes run over him approvingly when she turned back around. It had only happened in the past couple of years, but Armin had finally, _finally_ , grown out of that awkward phase. He was the definition of a late bloomer and had gained almost six inches of height the summer between his junior and senior year. In celebration he had changed the haircut he had worn since he was a little kid. His hair was long enough to fall around his shoulders or be pulled back now, and he no longer had the He-man bowl cut, thank god. All of that plus being forced to work out with his more athletic friends on a regular basis had turned him into someone not too bad to look at, in his opinion.

“You ready?” At his nod, she tightened the clamp to keep his skin from shifting. “Okay, then. Take a deep breath and let it out in one, two, three.”

He winced at the feeling, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. She repeated the process with the other side and then he caught sight of himself in the mirror above the counter. Lightly tanned skin, a swimmer's lean build, and two silver barbells... not bad. Not bad at all.

Petra gently wiped the area around his new piercings, then gave him the okay to get dressed again. Eren held out a fist and Armin bumped it, grinning widely. “You like it?”

“I do.” He turned to Petra. “So, how much do I owe you?”

She fluttered a hand in dismissal. “On the house. First time's a freebie for family.” Leaning in, she smiled conspiratorially and lowered her voice. “Just don't tell Levi.”

“Don't tell Levi what?”

The three spun towards the doorway where Levi leaned against the frame. He raised an eyebrow at their expressions and sighed. “She got her hands on you, then?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you get?”

In response he pulled up his shirt and showed the man, who just made a small sound and nodded in seeming approval. “How much do I owe?”

“Don't worry about it.” When he started to protest, Levi clicked his tongue. “I'm serious. Consider it a present. Just make sure to take care of them.”

Petra gave him a piece of paper with instructions on how to take care of his new jewelry and he smiled at the two of them in turn. “Okay. Thanks, Levi. And thank you, too, Petra.”

She waved away his thanks and Eren handed over the clipboard he had been writing on when Levi asked if he was done with the inventory. He glanced over the papers and nodded again. “Alright. You guys can take off if you want.”

Levi left the room and Eren followed, saying he was going to get his coat. Petra touched Armin's wrist to get his attention. “Let me take you back out front.”

He walked behind the petite woman, past the goateed man doing the tattoo on a girl and back around the counter. The man who had been on the couch with Petra when he first came in looked up from filling out paperwork for the next client. “Got another one for you, Petra.”

“Thanks, Auruo. I'll be just a minute.” She turned back to Armin as he buttoned up his coat. “Thanks for letting me talk you into that. That paper I gave you has all of the aftercare instructions you should need but if you have any questions, you know how to get a hold of me.”

“Of course. Thanks for talking me into it. I like them a lot more than I thought I would.”

She looked away for a moment and Armin followed her gaze. Eren neared the front of the store, Levi behind him. Turning back to him, she pitched her voice low. “You should come see me again next time you're in town. Maybe we could grab dinner. Text me in the meantime, okay?” He nodded dumbly and she winked at him, then turned to her next client. “Hey, there. So what are you getting done today?”

Levi held the door open for Armin and Eren to exit, then stepped to the side to light a cigarette. “Think you'll be going to the apartment tonight?”

Eren looked at Armin in question and he just shrugged. “It's up to you guys. I mean, I'm curious, but I wouldn't want to intrude.”

“It's fine. If you're still there when I get back, I'll see you later. If you aren't, it was nice meeting you in person.”

Armin took Levi's outstretched hand and shook it firmly. “Same to you. And thanks again for the piercings.”

He waved it off. “No worries. Now get the hell out of here, you little shits. Some of us have work to do.”

Eren laughed and they left the artist and his shop behind. A few minutes later, Armin broke the comfortable silence. “You guys totally hooked up last night, didn't you?”

“W- what? No! Why would you even think that?”

“Because your hair is way more messed up than it was when you went to 'get your coat'. And you should have seen your face when he stuck his head in the room.”

Eren groaned in defeat and Armin decided to take pity on him. “I won't say anything to anyone about it.”

“Really?”

“You think I want murdered in my sleep?”

Eren laughed and the conversation turned to more mundane things. Where Armin wanted to visit, what they wanted for dinner, did he want to see the apartment? A short discussion later, they decided to visit Mitras Castle since Eren hadn't been there yet, either.

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago Mitras had been the country's capital and housed the king and queen. The ages of the monarchy were long gone, but the castle still stood as testament to the city's rich history. After a quick tour with an extremely talkative guide, they decided to get some food to go and spend the rest of the evening at Eren and Levi's apartment and finish catching up.

Once they were back at the building, Eren led the way to their apartment. Armin was pleasantly surprised at the set up. Everything was modern and open, but still lived in and comfortable. He took his shoes off and hung his coat on the rack, then let Eren give him the grand tour.

“If you look to the right you will see the main living area, where the inhabitants spend most of their free time. If you would care to notice, a seating area stands directly opposite a large video screen. We can only assume that this is how they entertain themselves,” Armin snorted as Eren narrated like the overly enthusiastic tour guide from the castle, fake posh accent and all. “To the left we have a stunning kitchen, where the inhabitants consume their daily rations. We have reason to believe that the younger male prepares the sustenance while the older male cleans the area. Now if you will all follow me in this direction...”

After learning the layout of the apartment, they unpacked the food and turned the TV to some mindless sitcom. Eren put Levi's meal in the fridge and grabbed sodas for them while Armin made himself comfortable.

“This is a really nice place.”

“It is,” Eren agreed. “I'm lucky he decided to take a chance on me.”

“So,” the brunet looked at him suspiciously, knowing that tone of voice, “you guys did hook up, right? Is this going to be an actual thing or is it just temporary?”

Eren sighed heavily. “Yes, we did, but we didn't go all the way. Barely hit second base, if you want to put it that way. And I don't know how long-term it's going to be... it just happened this morning.”

“What do you want to happen?”

“I...” He fiddled with his curry, gaze focused intently on the food. “I really like him. He's rude and he curses all the time and he's a sarcastic prick. But he's also so nice and understanding and generous...”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“I don't know. I like him a hell of a lot more than anyone else I've ever liked or been with, so that's something.” He sighed heavily, then smiled. “And now I'm done talking about my feelings. What about you?”

Armin blinked in surprise. “What about me?”

“You think Petra's cuuuute.” Eren sang the words and Armin rolled his eyes.

He took a bite of his curry before deigning to answer. “She's pretty. What of it?”

“Nothing. Just that I think she thinks you're pretty cool, too.”

“Are you seriously trying to play matchmaker right now? One good makeout session and you're turning into Sasha and Connie.”

Eren played like he was offended before laughing it off. Sasha and Connie were constantly trying to get people to pair off. It had become a running joke that everyone needed to stay in a relationship or else those two would never leave you alone. The only kink in their plan was that most of their friends were already in committed relationships. Jean and Marco, Reiner and Bertl, Ymir and Historia, and Sasha and Connie themselves. Annie had no desire to be in a relationship whatsoever and rejected every single one of their ideas until they finally gave up. That left Armin, Mikasa, and Eren. Eren had dated quite a bit, even though it was never serious, so they left him alone. Everyone knew Mikasa was in love with Eren, so every attempt with her fell flat, as well.

And then there was one.

Armin had been introduced to more 'nice girls' than he could count, been on more blind dates than should be humanly possible, and been annoyed to hell and back by those two more often than everyone else combined.

“Eren. Yes, she is very pretty. Yes, I enjoyed talking to her. And she said next time I'm in town to come say hi. But that's all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“If you say so.” Eren took a drink, then gave Armin a shit-eating grin. “But, just so you know, I ship it. I ship it so fucking hard.”

“Remind me why I missed you, again?”

“You think I'm gorgeous... You want to kiss me... You want to hug me... You want to love me... You want to smooch me... You want to hug me...” Eren even did the little dance and made kissy-noises. Armin fell back against the couch and groaned.

“I hate you so goddamned much right now.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More SnK and yaoi goodness at my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to make a man jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't get over how awesome you all are. It still boggles my mind every time I see the read count go up and whenever there's a new kudos or comment. You guys spoil me with all of your love. Keep it up ;)
> 
> And now, let the fun begin! *winkwinknudgenudge*

When Levi came back to the apartment, Amin and Eren were sprawled out on top of each other on the couch, just bullshitting and watching Firefly. Eren sat up and smiled at him.

“Welcome back. If you're hungry, we got some curry for you. It's in the fridge.”

Levi nodded and went to his room to put his bag away. Armin tried to move to make more room for Levi, but Eren laid back on top of him like he had when Levi had first come in. Eren grinned when Armin quit trying to move, knowing that he would lose this battle. Armin may have been stronger than Eren, but Eren was more determined.

When Levi came back out, he looked at the two on the couch and rolled his eyes. “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Nope. Now come sit with us!” Eren stretched his hands out and made grabby motions towards the older man. Levi just sighed and gave in, sitting as far away from the two as possible. Eren made a disgruntled noise and clambered off of Armin to lean against Levi.

When Levi stiffened uncomfortably, Eren realized what he was doing. “Oh, crap. I didn't mean to make it weird. Armin knows, so I didn't even think about it.”

Eren relaxed when an arm came around his shoulders. “It's fine, but,” Levi's voice lowered as he spoke directly into Eren's ear, “this is as far as it goes. I don't like doing things in front of anyone else, no matter how much they know. Got it?”

Eren nodded and Levi relaxed minutely. Armin had studiously avoided paying attention to them, but smiled when Eren put his feet in the blond's lap. “What did I tell you? I knew you guys would be a good fit.”

“Whatever, blondie.”

Armin chuckled at Levi and grabbed another handful of popcorn while Eren looked between the two of them curiously. “Wait, what? When did this happen?”

“Don't worry about it, brat. It doesn't matter.” Eren sighed irritably, but let it go. He was in too good of a mood to let anything get to him.

Eren hadn't gotten around to making Levi watch Firefly yet, so he asked Armin to restart the series while he got more snacks and things to drink. Levi went to heat up his curry, as well, and after a few minutes of waiting and several stolen kisses, they returned to their spots on the sofa and hit play.

When Levi finished eating, Eren leaned against him once more, pulling an arm around his shoulders. He played with the pale man's slim fingertips as they watched the show and talked with each other. Armin leaned against Eren, who threw an arm around his best friend, gently running his hands through the soft, blond hair.

An episode and a half later, soft snores rumbled against Eren's side and he looked down at Armin's sleeping face. Eren nudged Levi, who took the hint and got up, leaving Eren enough room to slide out from under his friend. Levi came back with a pillow and a throw blanket and gave them to Eren, then took the tray full of food remnants to the kitchen.

When they were done cleaning up, Armin was totally dead to the world. Levi turned off the TV and the lights and motioned for Eren to follow him. When they reached their doorways, Levi didn't even give Eren a chance to make a decision. Long fingers curled around his collar and pulled him into Levi's bedroom, then shoved him against the bed.

Eren was already half-hard.

He sat down and scooted to the center of the bed as Levi stalked towards him like a predator. “Do you enjoy doing that?”

“Enjoy doing what?” Eren furrowed his brows, trying to think of what he was referring to.

“Teasing me all day. Kissing me in the office. Bending over and showing me that ass when you clean. Hanging all over another guy in our apartment... you like making me jealous?”

Eren grinned mischievously. “If this is my punishment, then I do.”

“You little shit.” Levi straddled him and Eren's hand automatically went to his hips, moving along with him in slow circles. “We're not having sex because of Blondie out there, but if you ask really nicely, I might take care of you.”

“God, Levi, please...”

Strong fingers pulled at his shirt and Eren whipped it off. Those same fingers drew patterns on his heated skin and he moaned under the gentle caresses. With one shove, Levi pushed him so he lay down, the older man still riding his clothed hard-on.

Dragging the cloth up slowly, Levi teased taking his shirt off, flashing different bits of skin until Eren cursed, then he stripped it off and threw it somewhere across the room. Eren felt his jaw drop as he looked at Levi. Sure, he had seen the man without a shirt before. Many times. But this was different. Now he could touch.

Sitting back up, Eren bent slightly to press his mouth to the smooth skin of his throat. Levi bit back a groan but Eren still heard it. Fingers spread wide on his back, Eren pressed softly until Levi leaned back and arched into him, giving him access to the tattoos coloring his chest. Finally able to give into the fantasy he had harbored from the first time he had seen him without a shirt on, Eren traced the intricate designs with his tongue. Licking and suckling his way across the defined pecs, he reveled in the taste of something uniquely Levi. When he bit down lightly on a nipple, Levi let out a shuddering moan that made Eren nearly come in his pants right then.

Gently, he pushed Levi back until he lay flat on his back, Eren hovering over him between his spread legs. “You're so fucking gorgeous.”

“Tch, whatever.” Even though his words dismissed the compliment, his cheeks flushed even further. Eren lowered his head and licked a thick stripe up Levi's neck, then took his mouth. As their lips worked against each other, tongues dancing back and forth, Eren's hands traveled over Levi's body, fingers dipping in and out of the fine musculature.

As much as he enjoyed running his hands over the pale, illustrated skin, Eren was tired of waiting. A hand trailed down Levi's side to his jeans and Eren cupped him through the fabric. Levi's entire body jolted at the touch. “Fuck!”

Little moans and groans escaped him as Eren rubbed his length. With a practiced flick of his fingers, Eren unbuttoned the denim and encouraged Levi to wiggle out of his pants. Forced to sit back while they both helped the offending garment off, Eren barely held back from drooling at the expanse of smooth skin revealed to him. Settling between Levi's legs once more, he made eye contact and nipped the man's inner thigh, soothing the tiny hurt with a swipe of his tongue.

Levi breathed heavily, watching as Eren switched sides, moving back and forth between his legs, leaving a line of marks behind as he slowly ascended. Soon he found himself staring up at Levi's dick in excited surprise.

It was no secret that Levi was a small man. He was short and perfectly in proportion everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. He greatly exceeded expectations with certain parts of his anatomy. His engorged cock stood tall and thick, curving slightly upwards to hang over his bellybutton. A silver ring decorated the head and only made Eren's mouth water in anticipation. But as much as Eren wanted to get his hands and mouth and everything else on it, Levi's words about waiting ran through his mind and he decided to take his time.

Ignoring the hardness weeping for his attention, he laid open-mouthed kisses on Levi's hips, suckling the tender skin gently. The man groaned, head falling back slightly, hips straining towards the heat of Eren's mouth. Licking up his abs, Eren breathed a puff of warm air on the tip and Levi cursed out loud.

“Fuck, Eren... just do it... fuck...”

Smiling lasciviously, Eren quirked an eyebrow. “I thought anticipation made it that much sweeter?”

A hand shot up to tangle in Eren's hair as he growled. “Point taken. Now stop teasing.”

It wasn't hard to give into the demand since Eren was dying to do it anyway. He laid a tiny kiss to the tip, gently flicking the piercing, and was rewarded with a hiss of pleasure. Eren scooted backward, sliding off the bed and bringing Levi along with soft touches and murmured words. When the other man sat on the edge of the mattress, Eren made himself comfortable on his knees. Steadying the hardness with one hand, he licked from root to tip once, then took the head in his mouth, sucking lightly.

Levi let out a strangled curse as his hand tightened in Eren's hair. Smiling to himself, he bobbed up and down, flicking his tongue along the underside as he moved, paying special attention to the ring and pumping the few inches he couldn't quite swallow.

“Ungh... fuck, Eren, yesss...”

Pulling off, he opened his eyes to connect with Levi's and a jolt of lust ran through his entire body. Levi's mouth hung open slightly with his heavy breathing, his face tinged red, eyes dark and pupils blown wide open. Maintaining eye contact, Eren stroked his length with his hand, then leaned in to lick and kiss the head, moving the ring and poking the slit softly with his tongue.

“Goddamn... just... fuuuck... Eren, god...”

Giving into the pleas, Eren took him in his mouth again. Levi's hand flexed in his hair and he let the man guide him into a steady rhythm. When his free hand came up to roll his balls, Levi's hand tightened so much that Eren was forced almost all the way down. The hand immediately released the pressure but Eren silently praised his lack of a gag reflex. He pulled back just enough to take a deep breath, then dove in, taking the thick length all the way down until his nose was buried in neatly trimmed pubes.

The moaned growling noise Levi made was easily the sexiest thing Eren had ever heard. He looked up and saw Levi staring at him, eyes wide as he panted. Sucking hard, he pulled back, letting his lips and tongue drag over the sensitive skin until Levi made the sound again, never breaking eye contact.

He did it over and over again until Levi started tensing erratically. Knowing the end was near, Eren fell back into the same rhythm as before. He ignored the stuttered warning as Levi's cock grew impossibly harder and, when the first spurt hit his tongue, Eren downed the full length once more.

Levi groaned deeply as he came down the brunet's throat, Eren swallowing over and over again, not wanting to waste a drop. Only releasing the suction when Levi pulled his hair slightly, Eren pulled back just enough to let go of his softening cock and, licking gently, cleaned him off.

When Eren looked up again, Levi had his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath. When they opened, he looked down at Eren with smoldering intent. “Strip and get up here.”

He didn't need to be told twice. Shedding his clothes like they were on fire, Eren crawled over to Levi, who pushed him onto his side. Their lips met in a heated kiss and Levi's hand went straight for Eren's hardness, smooth fingers wrapping around it and stroking firmly.

“What do you want, Eren?”

It took a moment for the whispered question to process. Eren arched into a particularly pleasurable stroke and he moaned. “I don't care, I'm not going to last long... fuck, Levi...”

Humming, Levi attached himself to Eren's neck, lips and tongue and teeth assaulting the sensitive spot he had discovered that morning, his hand twisting and moving in a delicious rhythm. Eren arched into the touches, his hands running over Levi once more.

Grabbing his hair, he guided Levi back up to his lips and the older man dominated the kiss. Eren gladly gave up control and let him plunder his mouth. Eren whimpered as he neared the edge and Levi redoubled his efforts. When Eren came, he swore he saw stars. He moaned into the other man's mouth, panting harshly as waves of ecstasy consumed him.

When he came down from the high he fell back against the bed, body limp, closing his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. “Fuck, Levi.”

The mattress moved and Eren cracked open his eyes to see Levi wiping his hand on a tissue. He huffed a laugh and grey eyes turned to him. “What's so funny?”

“You. I should have expected you to wipe off immediately afterwards.”

Levi clicked his tongue and threw the tissue in a wastebasket. “Excuse me if I don't want to be covered in cum.”

Rolling his eyes at his fastidious nature, Eren opened his arms and fluttered his hands. “Leeeviiiii, come heeeeeere...”

Without a word of protest, although he did narrow his eyes in mock annoyance, Levi crawled over to Eren and allowed the younger man to wrap around him. Levi returned the embrace and Eren shivered at the ticklish sensation of fingertips dancing along his spine. Their faces were barely inches apart and Eren pressed their foreheads together.

“Thank you.”

Eyebrows raising, Levi looked at him strangely. “Are you seriously thanking me for that?”

Raising one hand to cup his jaw, Eren traced Levi's puffy lips gently with his thumb. “I've wanted to do that for a long time. So, yes, thank you for letting me.”

Clicking his tongue, Levi rolled his eyes. “Don't thank me, brat. You did all the work.” Levi leaned in to touch his lips to Eren's, more of a caress than an actual kiss. “Besides, I wanted it, too.”

Eren grinned at the admission and kissed him back.

Losing himself in Levi was heaven. They traded kisses and soft touches and quiet words for what seemed like forever. Only once was the spell broken, when Levi moved to cover their still-naked forms with the comforter, but they picked right back up where they left off.

Neither knew how much time had passed until they fell asleep, and neither cared. All that mattered was that they were still wrapped up in each other as they did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) might have something for everyone, but my page caters to those into SnK, yaoi, random funny things and NSFW stuff.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth bombs and reality checks, Part One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to serious business with this chapter. Consider this part one of Mikasa's POV. For flow reasons I split it up into two pieces, so expect the second part soon. I actually had a really hard time getting into her head for this, but it needed to happen, especially for the second half. I seriously doubt we'll be traveling back into her head again since it was so difficult this time. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this peek into her mind. Part two is more introspective, so be on the lookout for that.
> 
> Also, after this chapter, the frequency of uploads will slow down considerably. I used this story for my Camp NaNo project this year and flew through chapters, hence why I uploaded every few days during April. I'll still be working on it pretty consistently, but I just wanted to let you all know so you didn't think I was disappearing when I don't update every couple days. Much love to every single one of you that reads this and sticks with me. <3
> 
> On to the story!

After the catastrophe of a meal and the fight, Mikasa wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and die. Not only had he rejected her confession, he had dismissed her in favor of the old man and, worst of all, she completely failed to convince Eren to come home.

When Armin and she had come back to the hotel after an awkwardly silent cab ride, she had gone to her room and had no plans of emerging until it was time to check out and go to the train station. Only once did she leave, and that was just to walk to the convenience store down the block and pick up enough food and drink so she could stay in her room the rest of the weekend.

Paying off the massive amount she had charged to her credit card would take forever and she hadn't even gotten anything out of the trip. Wasting that much money to sit by herself and be depressed was stupid, but she had no urge to go out and explore the city by herself, especially when she knew that Eren and Armin were out there having a good time with each other. But Eren had made it clear that he didn't want to see her, so there was no use in even trying. Besides, that creep would probably be there, somehow managing to sucker Armin into being his cheerleader just like he had Eren.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful to the creep for saving Eren's life. She was glad he did, but he should have just made sure he wasn't dying and sent him home, back where he belonged with his friends and adopted family. With her.

Her phone rang and she was tempted to let it go to voicemail, but the thought that it might be Eren or Armin made her pick it up. Annie's picture flashed on the screen and she sighed. The little blonde would just keep calling if she didn't answer.

“Hey, Annie.”

“Hey, yourself. How's Mitras?”

Right there. That's exactly why she didn't want to talk to anyone. When she didn't answer immediately, Annie sighed. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I'm fine.”

“Liar.”

Not many people could get away with calling Mikasa a liar, but Annie was one of the very few with that privilege. The two girls were similar in a lot of ways, what with their quiet, taciturn personalities, their tendencies to keep things close, ability to kick ass, and unwavering loyalty to those closest to them. Annie also had a tendency to tell the whole, unvarnished truth, so she decided to get it off of her chest.

“Fine. Do you have a while?”

“Just got home from work, so I'm clear until class Monday morning.”

With a heavy sigh and despite everything in her rebelling against it, she poured out the story to her friend. Other than the occasional sound to show she was listening, Annie didn't say anything until Mikasa was finished.

“...So Eren told me to go away and now he and Armin are out doing god-knows-what with that pervert.”

Annie sighed. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did you honestly think Eren was going to drop his job, come back here, and be with you?”

That was the question, wasn't it? “He belongs in Shingansina.”

“Why?”

“All of his friends are there. We can support him when he goes through hard times.”

“It seems to me like he wants to support himself.”

Mikasa scoffed. “No, he's got that pervert taking care of him.”

“So you want him to rely on us instead of Levi?”

“Of course! Why wouldn't he be better off at home?”

Annie made an irritated noise. “Alright, Mikasa. I'm going to say this, and you damn well better listen to every word and not interrupt me. Got it?” When she didn't answer immediately, Annie repeated herself. “Got it?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Alright. You're not going to like this, but Eren is a grown man. He has every right to make his own decisions, to move away if he wants, to choose what career he wants, to befriend and trust whoever he wants. Our job, as his friends, is to support his decisions. You can't coddle him forever.”

“But-”

“No, I'm not done. You have made a lot of mistakes with this. A _lot_. First off, and I'm not saying you made a conscious decision to do it, but you fell in love with a gay guy. Not bi, not pan, not curious, not anything except totally gay. As in one-hundred percent, confirmed, dicks only.”

Even though she was alone, Mikasa's face heated. Her fingers itched to play with her scarf, but it was hung in the closet with her coat. “I'm not-”

“You are and there's no use denying it. I hate to tell you, but it's the worst kept secret around here. The only person who didn't know was Eren, and that's because he's as dense as a concrete wall. You need to let it go. I'm not saying it to be mean, but there is absolutely no way that he will ever be able to return your feelings. He's never shown the slightest interest in anything with a vagina and he isn't going to start now.”

“I can't help it.” Her voice was embarrassingly small as she finally admitted it. “He's always been there and he's perfect for me.”

Annie took a deep breath and Mikasa braced herself for her reaction. “Eren is about as far from perfect as you can get. Not to mention how absolutely wrong he is for you.”

“You don't know what you're talking about.”

“And the girl who has spent her entire life lusting after and falling for a gay man does? I know you, and I know him. You two would kill each other within a week if you were dating.”

“No-”

“Yes, you would. Eren is a hotheaded, impulsive idiot who rushes headfirst into bad decisions like it's his job. You, on the other hand, are calm, methodical, and think things through before making your move. Eren wants to do what Eren wants to do and damn the consequences. You would -no, you _do_ and you always have _-_ run yourself ragged trying to take care of him like he's a child. He's a full-grown adult with the ability to make his own decisions. Even if they're stupid decisions, they're his to make and learn from. How many times have you two butted heads over something insignificant just because you ran right over what he wanted to do and made the choice for him? Hm? Sexuality aside, do you really think either of you would survive a relationship built on that foundation?

As much as what Annie said made sense, Mikasa just didn't want to believe it. She had been the responsible one to Eren's impetuous nature and Armin's pacifist ideals for most of her life. She didn't have a problem letting Armin go to do his own thing, but she still watched over him. They lived in the same dorm building, had the same friends, and he devoted most of his time to studying. He gave her no reason to worry. Eren, well... Eren leaped before he looked. He skipped out on going to college and ran away to Mitras on a pipe dream, then was too prideful to ask for help when he was in dire need of a hand. That wasn't even mentioning the long line of 'boyfriends' that Mikasa wanted nothing more than to string up by their guts. Eren couldn't be trusted to make the right choice if his life depended on it, and proved that point exactly when he almost died rather than call someone for help.

“I don't care. He's not safe with that pervert.”

A small groan echoed through the cell phone. “I hate to say it... no, you know what? I don't, actually. Levi is a good guy and great for Eren.”

“Wha-”

“You said you would hear what I have to say. So listen.” Mikasa curled her lip, but didn't say anything. Annie waited a moment to make sure she wouldn't be interrupted before continuing. “You know why I say that? Think about Eren when he was back here. He didn't care about anything. He had no plans for his future. He never stuck with anything or anybody for more than a few weeks. He was all over the place, all of the time. I don't care how much you love him, there's no way you can deny that.”

She sighed, wanting to disagree with the blonde, but she couldn't. Eren was all those things and more. “And that's why he needs me.”

“No, that's why he needed you. Past tense.”

“So, what, now I'm just supposed to drop out of his life? Just like that? I don't fucking think so.”

“That's not what I'm saying at all. What I am saying is that the Eren from high school and the Eren living in Mitras are completely different. You can't treat now-Eren like past-Eren.”

“I'm not-”

“You are. He spent over a year on the streets. Sleeping on benches and in homeless shelters. Scrounging and begging for food. Hiding in doorways and tunnels to keep out of the rain. And those were only the things he told us about. You know he didn't tell us the really bad stuff that happened to him. Going through something like that? It changes a person. You know what I see now when I talk to Eren? I see someone who has finally found a purpose. Someone who has finally found something he can love and enjoy and throw his entire being into. He's making his own decisions and, for once, they're actually smart ones.”

“I still don't see why he can't be like that and make his smart decisions at home.”

Annie sighed again. “I think this is where I'm going to lose her.” The muttered words still came through the phone loud and clear. Mikasa involuntarily tensed, having a bad feeling about what she was going to say. “Levi is the reason.”

“Fuck him.”

“Stop it. I'm tired of hearing you bitch about him. Everyone else is, too, they just don't say it. You know why Eren is choosing to stay with him in Mitras? Because he lets Eren make mistakes. He treats him like an adult. I've only talked to Levi a couple times but I can see, as plain as day, that he is a mentor to Eren. He has a successful, profitable business in one of the biggest chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out cities in the world and is teaching Eren how to succeed like that. He doesn't baby him. He lets Eren know when he's being stupid, but explains why and how to avoid making that same mistake again. He took all that manic energy Eren has and funneled it into something productive, something that he can build a life with. Levi is giving him a future. You want to keep him in the past.”

“No, I don't!”

The blonde laughed, the unsettling sound making a knot form in Mikasa's stomach. “Tell me then, what did you want to happen if he came back to Shingansina with you? Forget about any relationship goals, because we both know that would never happen. What was your plan?”

Taking a few deep breaths to gather her thoughts, Mikasa felt the knot in her stomach tighten even more. “He would come back and we would get an apartment together. He'd get a real job and enroll in college with us. Then he would have us there and a career in the making.”

“He already has an apartment and a roommate. He already has a real job. And he already has a career in the making, just without all of the student loan debt we're going to have. Most of all, he has us. We're just not physically next to him.”

Mikasa didn't say anything, her throat dry from trying not to bawl. She had cried enough the night before when Eren had told her to go back and that he loved her like a sister, but didn't like her at all. Blinking furiously, she contained the threatening tears and took a deep breath. “I guess I understand what you're saying. But he needs to come home.”

Everything would return back to normal once he came back. Eren would pull stupid pranks with Sasha and Connie and fight with Jean and workout with Reiner and Bertl and eat all of the cheese in everyone's house and drive everyone crazy and pick out nerdy stuff to watch on movie nights and everything would be just like it was before he disappeared. Once Eren returned to Shingansina everything would be okay again.

“Mikasa...” Annie spoke gently and Mikasa knew whatever her next words were would destroy her. Annie never softened for anyone. “He already is home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). Because fandom.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee and conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. The Mikasa chapter got a much better response than I expected, like, ridiculously better. You guys are so amazing. As usual, all of the dialogue ever in this chapter. I love writing conversations with all these characters. Seeing them interact like this is way too much fun. They all have such different personalities it's great to just put them in a room and let them talk.
> 
> And fun fact: This chapter makes this the longest fic I've ever posted. Holy crap.

Eren woke up to the sound of the toilet flushing. Blinking rapidly, it took him a second to realize that his window was in the wrong place. Hot on the heels of that thought, he remembered where he was and turned his head to see a familiar body still fast asleep. Carefully moving to press his chest to Levi's back, he wrapped his arms around the muscular form, nuzzling into the nape of his neck.

Levi groaned and stretched slightly as Eren woke him with soft touches. One arm came up to thread though Eren's hair, holding him in position as Levi rocked against his morning erection. Wrapping his fingers around Levi's hardness, Eren stroked him in time with his movements. Levi opened his legs slightly and Eren took the silent offering, moaning into his lover's skin when muscular thighs closed around his length. Precum soon eased the way and he slid against warm skin as he suckled and licked Levi's neck, adjusting so he laved the area where neck turned into shoulder. Shuddering against him, Levi sped up his motion, Eren following suit.

Levi released Eren's head and moved his hand down to grip his ass, his fingertips flexing erratically as Eren thrust into his thighs. Eren jacked Levi a little faster, tightened his grip just a bit, and soon Levi moaned his name as he came. He worked him through it until Levi was sated and pulled away. He rolled to his stomach and looked up at Eren.

When Eren didn't immediately move, too busy admiring Levi's post-orgasm blush and how that silvery grey peeked through black hair, the older man moved his hips just enough to get Eren's attention. Licking his lips, Eren got on his knees between slightly spread legs. With the hand still wet from Levi's release, Eren stroked himself a few times before laying on top of the man, letting his cock settle between muscular cheeks.

He rutted against the tender skin, groaning and cursing as he felt Levi's asshole tease his length. Levi got into the act, as well, pushing back against every thrust and moaning softly when especially sensitive spots were stimulated. Faster than he thought possible Eren came, his release dotting Levi's skin. When he pulled back and took in the view, the sight of Levi on his stomach with hips raised, cum shot all over his back and ass, Eren cursed.

“Don't get hard again. Armin is still here.”

Levi's words reminded him of his friend's presence. Part of him wanted to feel guilty for forgetting he was there, but most of him watched as Levi stretched like a cat and wanted nothing more than to pin the man to the bed and go for another round.

When Eren made no effort to move, Levi rolled his eyes. “Go. I'm not going anywhere. He is.”

Smiling softly, Eren kissed Levi, heedless of the muttered protests about morning breath. Levi curled his lip and clicked his tongue after they broke apart, but his cheeks were slightly pink. Grinning widely, Eren threw on his boxers and retreated to the bathroom to clean up before heading into his bedroom to get dressed. The shower started running a moment later and Eren had to push his imagination to the back of his head. He could see Levi under the spray of water, streams of it flowing over his strong body, his skin flushed from the heat of the room, muscles flexing as he washed himself...

Fuck, no. He couldn't do this right now. He couldn't start fantasizing while his friend was there. Kicking and shoving the enticing images away, he went out to the living room to see Armin with a cup of coffee, the rich scent wafting through the room. “Morning.”

The blond grinned in amusement. “Good morning to you, too. Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

“What's so funny?” Eren feigned ignorance despite the blush he could feel creeping across his cheeks.

“Nothing much. Just that you guys need to invest in soundproofing if you ever plan on having guests. And that you have a hickey the size of Trost on your neck.”

Eren shrugged, not bothering to hide his own grin. “Not about to complain over that. And we can always offer earplugs. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Oh, you don't have to-”

“Oi, brat!” Levi's raised voice cut off Armin's words and they both turned to the hallway in surprise. “What the hell is this shit?”

Levi, clad only in a pair of low-slung jeans, gestured to his chest and neck. His colorful tattoos were marred with purple and red blotches all along his front, the largest of which spread over the curve of his neck and around to nearly his spine. Eren blinked and smiled sheepishly.

“You seemed to like it at the time. And I have one, too, so...”

Narrowing his eyes, he looked between the two friends and cursed. “I swear to god, these fucking kids...” Muttering under his breath, the man stormed out of the room and a door forcefully closed a second later.

There was a long moment of silence where Eren and Armin just looked at each other, then they both cracked up laughing. Eren collapsed next to his friend on the couch and the two slowly calmed down. “So you finally went there, huh?”

Eren rolled his eyes. “Nope. Just messed around and got a little carried away, I guess.” He eyed the blond and gave him a crooked smile. “You call Petra, yet?”

He was pleased to see Armin falter for a second in surprise. “No, I... wait, how did you know she gave me her number?”

“When you were in the bathroom she asked if you were single. I said yes, she put her number on the aftercare sheet, and that's that.”

“Don't say anything, alright? I mean, it might get Sasha and Connie off my back but I just don't want to hear anything about it when all it is is a number.”

“Gotcha.” Eren leaned back and sighed. “So what's on your agenda for the day?”

“I have to be back at the hotel by two to get packed and check out. The train leaves at five. Other than that, nothing much...” Armin trailed off and Eren watched as his friend slumped in defeat. “But I do have to drag Mikasa out of her room.”

Thoughts that had been pushed away roared back to the front of his mind and Eren sighed. “What am I going to do about her?”

“I have no idea,” Armin said, shaking his head slowly. “But I don't think there's anything that you really can do. You haven't given her false hope about moving back or being with her, and you haven't sugarcoated your intent to stay here or how you want to her to stay in Shingansina and keep her scholarship. It's all up to her at this point.”

Eren sighed heavily. “I know. It's just... the look on her face when she told me and I had to turn her down...”

“You know I love you both like family. That said, you've both done some stupid things. Eren, you disappeared without a word and made us all think you were dead.” Armin held up a hand when Eren opened his mouth. “Let me finish. But you came back and we've all mostly forgiven you for it. But you know how Mikasa is. She just about lost her mind when you vanished and now that you're back she wants to keep you on a leash so you don't leave again. She's always been super protective of us, you in particular, so I'm not really surprised she's acting this way. Granted, she's going farther than I ever thought she would, but...”

Armin groaned. “I guess my point is that you can't control how other people react to things, only how you can. Like, you saw how you had messed up and are actively trying to mend your relationship with everyone and get your life straight. And you seem to be doing a pretty good job of it. But you don't have any control over Mikasa and her reactions to all of this. You haven't lied to or mislead her, you have always said you were staying out here and, most of all, you have never even slightly indicated you liked her in that way. I'm not going to choose sides between you, but I will say that she is way out of line.”

Eren sighed heavily. “I just feel bad about it.”

“I know. Me, too. But this all comes down to her. It will take some time, but she'll be okay.” Armin glanced up as Levi reentered the room and headed into the kitchen. “I don't think she'll ever be a fan of Levi, though.”

“As long as she keeps it to herself.” Armin gave him a skeptical look and Eren shrugged. “Yeah, doubtful, but I can hope.”

Levi carried two cups out of the kitchen and handed one to Eren before sitting in the armchair. Levi took a sip of the coffee before looking at Armin. “What time are you leaving?”

“I need to be at the hotel by two to pack and check out, then the train leaves at five.”

“Why don't you three go out to lunch or something until then?”

It took a second for his words to sink in but when they did, Eren stared at him in surprise. “As in with Mikasa?”

“Yeah.”

“But you two...”

“That's why I said you three. She came all the way out here and you've barely seen each other this whole weekend.”

Eren continued to gape unattractively until Levi sighed and put down his cup. “Armin, I'm going to steal him for a minute. We'll be right back.” Levi grabbed Eren's wrist and led him back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. “Why do you look like you've just seen a fucking ghost?”

Blinking, Eren shook his head at Levi. “Why are you doing this? You hate each other.”

“True, I can't stand her.”

“Then why...”

The shorter man sighed. “Because she's important to you. You didn't see how bad you looked after you two fought. And you said yourself that you wouldn't feel better about this whole thing until you sat down and talked. Well, here's your opportunity.”

“But-”

“But nothing. If you're worried about me, don't be. They came here to see you, so go see them. I'm not going anywhere.”

Eren wrapped his arms around Levi. He wanted nothing more than to bring him along to eat with his friends but knew that it wouldn't turn out any better than it had on Friday. It would probably even be worse, since Mikasa had all weekend to stew in her hurt feelings.

After a moment, Levi pulled out of the embrace. “Go. Have fun. Enjoy your time with your friends.”

Something was off, but Eren couldn't exactly put his finger on it. If he didn't know Levi so well he would never have noticed anything in the first place. Then it hit him all at once. The way Levi's eyes wouldn't focus on any particular part of his face. His slightly strained voice. The fingers that still touched his wrist.

Eren smiled softly as he leaned in to press their foreheads together. “Don't worry. I'm coming back.”

“Tch, what are you talking about?” The denial wasn't as strong as it normally would have been, and Eren bit back a smile at being proved right.

“I'm not going to let her talk me into leaving. I'm coming back to you, so don't worry. Alright?”

Levi sighed and relaxed minutely. “If you don't, I'm coming to Shingansina and kidnapping you.” The words were whispered so quietly Eren had to strain to hear them.

“I'll hold you to that.”

Their lips met and moved in a tender kiss. Neither tried to make it anything more than it was, proof of their growing feelings for each other. Levi backed away first, but didn't take his hand from Eren's face.

“Go. Have fun. And come back to me.”

“Always.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like fandoms, yaoi, and funny stuff? [Tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth bombs and reality checks, Part Two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of Mikasa's POV. I hope this goes over as well as the first half. 
> 
> Mikasa isn't the most fun character to write, but I did enjoy seeing things from her perspective, even if I don't personally agree with her. I think I did her justice, though, and kept her from being a one-dimensional yandere type. Let me know how you think I did.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

After forcing herself to get up and take a shower, Mikasa finished packing her things and sprawled out on the bed with the last bits of food she had bought at the convenience store. Some crappy B-movie about aliens and dinosaurs in modern times played on the TV. She wasn't paying attention to anything that happened on the screen, mostly using it as background noise so she wasn't completely alone with her thoughts.

After the oh-so-pleasant conversation with Annie the evening before, Mikasa had been even more of a mess than she had been after being dismissed by Eren in the first place. Annie had the uncanny ability to speak the unvarnished truth as she saw it and, as much as Mikasa hated to admit it, most of the time she was right, even if the words were said harshly.

When she had dropped the bomb that Mitras was Eren's new home... well, Mikasa was glad she was by herself. If she thought the crying the night before was bad, it was nothing compared to the tear-stained, snotty mess she had become after those few words. Annie had done her best to console her but, in the end, Mikasa had ended the call and done the only thing she could do at that point. Somehow while curled up in the fetal position, bawling and shaking with emotion, she fell into an exhausted sleep, only waking up when the alarm went off.

For so long her life had revolved around their little trio. Their other friends were always there and she always had their backs if they needed the assist, but Armin and Eren were her everything. When Eren had disappeared, she had nearly gone off the deep end. She had filed countless police reports and harassed the department so much for results that she was pretty sure everyone at the local station hated her. If she had the money she would have gone to find him herself, but everyone convinced her to stay in school and to let the professionals do their job. Mitras was a huge place and she had never been there before, so it made no sense to go out there with no idea of where to even begin looking.

When Eren had called Armin, though, never in her life had she felt relief like that. Even though she would happily kick his ass for putting her through that hell, she wanted nothing more than to bring him home and keep him there forever so he wouldn't vanish again.

But despite everything anyone had said, he had chosen to stay in Mitras with that old pervert. Granted, she was grateful that the creep saved Eren's life, but now he had somehow convinced him to stay in the city that almost killed him. Since their face-off over Skype, she had made no secret of how much she despised the old man. Maybe Annie was right about everyone hating when she went on tirades against him. That said, she couldn't understand how everyone else seemed okay with Eren staying with the creep. Maybe she had gone a little overboard when calling him a pedophile since Eren wasn't underage, but there was still a significant age gap that only she seemed to have an issue with.

Everyone else said that they had spoken with him a few times when he accidentally wandered through one of their calls with Eren, and they all seemed to be giving the man the benefit of the doubt. The general consensus was that he was brash and cursed a lot, but seemed to be a decent guy.

Even Ymir and Annie had said nice things about him. Well, as nice as those two got, anyway. And Armin had an uncanny ability to read people, and he seemed to genuinely like the guy. Those thoughts led to some disturbing questions.

Was she really overreacting to all of this? Was she taking things too far? Was she really expecting Eren to let her take care of him for the rest of their lives? Was she really trying to keep him in the past?

It had taken all night, but she had finally digested the majority of what Annie had said. A lot of things had happened to Eren while he had been gone. Things that changed people. And, as reluctant as she was to admit it, Eren did seem to be on a more even keel than he had been before. She was proud of him for growing up but, at the same time, didn't know what to make of this new version of him.

A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought and she got up to answer it, ready to send away the housekeeper. When she opened the door, though, she froze at the sight of Eren and Armin standing there.

Eren refused to make eye contact, looking off to the side and fidgeting slightly. Mikasa made no move to say anything, either, so Armin spoke up. “Want to go get some lunch? Get out of the room before we leave?”

“Um, yeah. Sure. Okay.” She left the door open and grabbed her coat and shoes. When she was bundled up, they left the hotel and the trio walked a few blocks down to a little diner. The walk was silent, but only slightly awkward. Inside the diner they sat in a booth with Eren on one side, Armin and Mikasa on the other.

She took off her coat but left the scarf on. Part of her knew it was childish, but it was a comfort to her frazzled nerves. The waitress came and went after taking their drink orders and leaving menus. Eren was the one to finally break the silence.

“So, we didn't get a chance to talk much. What have you been up to, 'Kasa?”

She fiddled with the end of the scarf before answering, not looking at him. “Nothing much. School and work. That's it.”

He sighed. “Fine, then. No small talk. Can we talk about what happened on Friday?”

She shrugged, still not looking up from the table. Armin nudged her lightly. “Come on. You can't just leave things like this and you know it.”

Closing her eyes, she gathered her resolve. It was hard, but something about opening up, even to the two men she loved more than anything, was incredibly difficult. Armin was right, though. Something needed to be fixed before she left.

When she looked up, familiar green eyes met hers and she felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly. This was Eren. She had no reason to hide things from him. “I'm worried about you.”

“Why?”

There were so many ways to answer that question. She had gone over them hundreds, thousands of times in the past couple months, let alone since he had disappeared. “Something is going to happen to you and I won't be around to stop it.”

“Mikasa, we aren't kids anymore. I'm not doing a fraction of the dumb stuff I used to. I don't need a mother. I need my friend to trust in my choices.”

“I do, but-”

“No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't say the things you do. You wouldn't question my sanity every time I tell you something. You wouldn't have this stupid plan to uproot your entire life to move out here just so you could keep an eye on me. Which, by the way,” he pointed a finger at her, “if you do transfer out here and lose your scholarship, I'll be the one questioning _your_ sanity and ability to make smart decisions.”

His words were harsh even though his voice was soft, and she couldn't say anything back for a long moment. When she stayed silent Eren sighed and looked out the window. Then she saw something she hadn't noticed before. At first he was wearing a scarf, then the angle of their seating prevented it, but now she had a perfect view of a large, deep purple mark on his neck.

If her heart hadn't been broken before when he rejected her confession, now it lay in shards on the floor. Still, her temper flared and she couldn't help the words that fell out of her mouth when it opened.

“What the hell is that?”

His eyes snapped back to her in surprise and confusion. “What the hell is what?”

“That thing on your neck.”

Surprise turned to anger as his eyes narrowed. “You know exactly what it is. Don't you even start.”

“Mikasa-”

She rolled right over Armin like he hadn't said anything. She was right not to trust that pervert. Now he was taking advantage of Eren. “That creep did that, didn't he? I'm going to kill him.”

“Mikasa.” Eren's voice was tight with fury. “You had better shut your goddamned mouth right now if you don't want me to get up and walk out of this place.”

“I told you he was a pervert.”

Eren had just moved to get his coat when Armin spoke up again. “Eren, sit down. Mikasa, shut up.” Both of them reluctantly listened to his authoritative tone, even though Mikasa had to physically bite her tongue to stay silent.

“I didn't want to do this, but I guess I have to be the talker since you two can't manage to have an adult discussion.” He pointed a finger at Eren. “Mikasa thinks Levi is taking advantage of you. She thinks he's just using you for a sex toy or something and that's why she wants you away from him.”

Then the finger swung over to point at her. “You need to let this Levi thing go. What Eren does with who is none of your business. He is a grown man and can make his own decisions. And I spent the night at their apartment last night. I can say for sure that Levi is not using Eren in any way, shape, or form. Anything that happens between them is totally consensual. I'm going to say it again since it doesn't seem to be penetrating. What they do is none of your business. None. Of. Your. Business.”

The finger went back to Eren. “She's worried you're going to disappear again and, honestly, I can understand where she's coming from with that. She's also spent so long taking care of you it's instinctual now. She wants to keep you close to keep you from doing stupid stuff like you did in high school.”

Back to Mikasa. “He isn't a child. He has changed and is being smart now. You're basically turning into a stalker with this secret plan to move out here. That is so wrong in so many ways I can't even begin to tell you. You'll lose your scholarship, not to mention Eren if you do move. So stop even thinking about it and cancel the paperwork. If you don't, I'm going to do it for you, and you better believe me when I say that.”

Armin sat back and sighed. “I think I addressed it all. Is there anything I'm forgetting?”

“Just one thing.” Eren looked at Mikasa seriously. “I don't care if you don't like him, Levi is important to me. I refuse to hear anything else about him being a pervert or a pedophile or a serial killer or any of the other things you accused him of. I'm not kidding. If we're having a conversation and you say something about him I _will_ hang up on you or walk out of the room and not come back. Don't test me on this.”

Mikasa huffed a sigh. Neither man spoke as they looked at her. Rolling her eyes, she forced the words out through gritted teeth. “Fine. But if he does one thing to you-”

“He won't. But if he ever does, I'll deal with it myself and you won't have a single word to say about the matter.”

“Fine.”

Apparently they were satisfied with her unwilling agreement and the two boys struck up a conversation about something art-related. She didn't pay attention to their words, only speaking again when the waitress came back for their orders. She ordered the first thing she saw on the menu without really registering what it was. It was a pleasant surprise to see the cheeseburger when their food came out, but she didn't come back out of her thoughts again until she saw Eren pay for the meal with a slim silver card.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “When did you get a credit card?”

A muscle ticked in Eren's jaw when he turned to her. “I didn't. It's Levi's. He said lunch is on him.”

“Right.” She pulled out her wallet and grabbed a twenty. “He didn't mean me. Here.”

One hand lifted to ruffle his hair, pulling the brown strands slightly. “Keep it. He meant for you, too.”

When she looked at him skeptically, he sighed. “I know you hate him for some reason, but he really is a good guy. You aren't going to believe it no matter what I say, but it's true. I'm not going to fight with you about it anymore, 'Kasa. I really like him and even though it sucks you can't see any of what I see in him, it isn't going to stop me from being with him.”

She lowered the money, resting her hand on the table as she took a shuddering breath. She could see where this was going and this was the one conversation she never wanted to have. Ever. Especially in public. “Eren...”

“I know you think you're in love with me. Maybe you actually are, I don't know. But I'm gay. I love you like family, but that's as far as it goes. As far as it will ever go. You need to let me go. It might take time, but there's someone out there who can love you like you deserve. I know there is. You're wonderful and strong and smart and there's a person out there who is just as wonderful and strong and smart and will love you just as much as you love them. I'm sorry that person isn't me, but I can't -and wouldn't- change how I am.”

Mikasa blotted her wet eyes with the edge of her scarf as the two boys pretended not to see. When the waitress returned with the card, Eren signed and they left the diner, walking slowly back to the hotel. In the lobby, Eren hugged Armin and whispered a few words, earning him a laugh and a playful punch to the shoulder. When Eren turned towards her, she wasn't sure whether to shake his hand or give him a hug or just wave and walk away.

He solved her dilemma by wrapping his arms around her. Letting out the deep breath she had been holding, she returned the embrace, squeezing tightly. Tears fell despite how hard she tried to hold them back and a small sniffle escaped. He pulled back to look her in the face, a sad smile gracing his features.

“Even if it didn't turn out like either one of us thought it would, I'm really glad you came out here, 'Kasa. It was so nice to see you in person. I missed you so much.”

“Are you sure you can't come back with us?”

He shook his head. “You know I'm not going to.”

“I had to ask,” she said, shrugging. “Eren, I... I'm going to need some time before we talk again, okay?”

“Of course. Figure out what you need and what you want and when you're ready, I'll be here for you. But you had better stay in school and keep your scholarship. Promise me that much, at least.”

She nodded and buried her head in his shoulder again. This time she pulled away first, making a concentrated effort to put her shattered emotions back together. “I'll talk to you soon, Eren.”

He gave her another sad smile and nodded. “I'll be here. Have a safe trip.”

With those words, Eren backed away from her and Armin, waving once more before leaving the building. Armin took her hand and she looked at the blond. “Come on. Let's go get our things. We need to have everything down here soon.”

She looked one last time at the revolving door and let Armin pull her to the elevators. Maybe she could let him go after all. It would take a long time, but she would do it. Even if she hated him, at least Levi seemed to make Eren happy. That was all that mattered.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bringing down the walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See what I did there, huh? Eh? EH?
> 
> This is the scene that I envisioned from the moment I started writing this fic. I won't say too much more than that I've been waiting on pins and needles for the right time to post this, so here you go. I'm super proud of this chapter, so I hope you all like it a fraction of how much I do.
> 
> Levi angst, ho!

Levi sat at the desk in the corner of the living room, working on a sketch for a client he had on Wednesday. As he drew the intricate design, his mind went back to the conversation he had with Eren before he and Armin went to lunch. When he thought about how pathetic he had been he wanted to punch himself.

After he had told them to go without him, he was hit with an irrational fear that Eren wouldn't return. All he could imagine was that Mikasa would work her voodoo on him and somehow manage to convince the brunet to return to Shingansina with her. Either that or she would bash him over the head and drag him away by his hair.

If that had happened right after Eren had come into his life he would have been fine with it. Mostly fine, anyway. Even though he wouldn't approve of the woman running Eren's life like he was a helpless child, he wouldn't have had any say in the matter and would have let him go.

But now...

Now, after all the time they had spent together, all of the conversations they had shared, all of the things they had done... there was no way he would let Eren go. That said, he hated that the brat affected him like that. When he had taken Eren into the other room to convince him to go out with his friends, he had been hit with the unreasonable fear all at once.

Looking up into those bright green eyes, he imagined never looking into them again and his heart clenched. Somehow Eren had read his uncertainty and assured him that he would return. Even though he trusted the teen's word, he wouldn't completely relax until Eren came home. And he had been deathly serious when he had said he would kidnap him back if he went to Shingansina.

God, he was pathetic.

He was a divorced thirty year old man, a successful business owner, and totally independent on his own merits, without even taking into consideration Erwin's monetary generosity. He was intelligent and well-spoken (when he cared to watch his words and not say whatever crossed his mind) and had a lot going for him in life.

So, of course, here he was. Sitting alone in his apartment, pretending to work, pining over a formerly homeless nineteen year old kid with a rabid attack dog for a sister.

Fuck.

_Fuck!_

Without him realizing it, that little shit had wrapped him around his fingers. Maybe it was that they spent nearly every waking moment together. Maybe it was his earnest expressions and the way Eren couldn't hide his feelings if his life depended on it. Maybe it was that even though Levi pushed him to get his shit straight, to always do better, to _be_ better, he always tried and never complained. Or, if he did complain, he did it so fucking cutely that Levi couldn't stay mad at him.

He was so screwed.

Unable to focus on his drawing and unwilling to leave the apartment, Levi sighed heavily. What had happened to him? That brat had literally taken his entire world and turned it upside down. Before Eren, he would have been perfectly fine alone in his apartment for days on end, only leaving for groceries or work, only having Hanji once or twice a week for company. He had always loved the peace that silence gave him. And now he had gotten used to noise, the brat always having a TV show on or music playing or talking to Levi, no matter how little the man paid attention. Now he hated being alone in his quiet home. Eren was always there. Even when Levi had left him behind and gone to work alone, Eren was always there when he came back, greeting him with a smile. Now that he thought about it, this was actually the first time since he had brought Eren home that he had been completely alone in the apartment. They spent almost every moment of the day together. Even when Eren and Armin had gone out the day before, they were both there when Levi came home from work.

Before, the silence had been a balm to his nerves. It had calmed and soothed him, allowing him to relax completely. Now, the silence was killing him. It ratcheted up his tension until he felt ready to snap. It wasn't even the silence itself, more the sensation of being by himself. Alone. Somehow the brat had taken Levi's lifelong love of solitude and turned it around so that instead of needing to be by himself, he needed to be with Eren.

“Fuck!”

Abandoning his drawing, Levi stood and paced from the living room down the hallway to his bedroom door and back again. Over and over he walked the path, berating himself for falling apart. He was a grown-ass man. There was no reason for him to be this anxious about being by himself. He'd been like this his entire life and loved having personal space and private time. But somehow Eren had made it so that his personal space wasn't complete without a green-eyed teen. His private time didn't feel right without a pierced brunet sitting next to him. Somehow he had fallen under the spell of emerald eyes and tanned skin, of determination and passion. He was a mess. He hadn't felt like this since...

A stray thought of Isabel popped up and he groaned out loud. As much as he didn't want to think about her, he couldn't help but draw parallels between his feelings for the two, even though the two of them couldn't possibly be more different as people. He had loved her deeply and would have brought her the moon if she had asked for it. He would probably do the same for Eren. As much as he didn't want to think about it, the hurt part of him hoped it wouldn't turn out as badly as it had the first time.

After Erwin had taken him off the streets and he had re-enrolled in a new high school for a fresh start, Farlan had been the one person he had taken as a friend. The two quickly became inseparable and were as thick as thieves. Then, a year later, a little redheaded girl moved to town and became the third part of their little gang. Levi had known for quite some time that he was bisexual and, after becoming confident that they wouldn't judge him or let it change their opinions of him, came out to his friends. Neither had cared.

Once at a party he and Farlan had gotten drunk and messed around. He had always found Farlan attractive, but never acted on his primal urges until all of his inhibitions were removed with alcohol. Farlan accepted it for what it was and, even though they had gotten each other off, it didn't affect their friendship in the slightest. When Isabel found out she had expressed interest in seeing the two of them together, but it had never happened. When Levi and Farlan graduated, Isabel still had a year to go in high school. Farlan went on to the local college to work on a degree in engineering and Levi found a tattoo artist to take him as an apprentice.

When Isabel graduated, she went to the same school as Farlan for interior design. The trio still found lots of time to be together, even with their different schedules and responsibilities. Somehow Levi found himself developing feelings for the redheaded girl and, one day, he bit the bullet and asked her on a date. After that their relationship grew by leaps and bounds.

He never noticed the looks shared between Isabel and Farlan and, if he did, he attributed it to their years of friendship. When he asked her to marry him, she had jumped into his arms, screaming yes at the top of her lungs. At the ceremony, Farlan was his best man. He was so besotted by his new wife that he never noticed the lingering looks the two shared or the carefully concealed disdain Farlan began to treat him with.

A year into the marriage, Isabel brought up his and Farlan's dalliance years before. After several long talks and careful agreement, they brought it up to the other man and he accepted their offer without hesitation. They all spent that night in bed, touching and loving and coming over and over again until none of them could move the next day.

Looking back on it, that was when things started changing. Levi purchased a house and picked up more hours to pay for it. Isabel got promoted and began spending more and more nights late at work. Farlan seemed to get in touch with him less and less.

One night he had gotten off of work early thanks to a canceled appointment and made it a point to buy a bouquet of flowers for Isabel. Magnolias, her favorite. He wanted to surprise her, so he crept into his house, making sure not to make a sound as he did.

He heard the noises first. Even though his gut told him exactly what it was, he wouldn't believe it, refusing to accept the truth until he saw it with his own two eyes. When he carefully cracked open the bedroom door, he was struck with a sight that still haunted him. Farlan, laid back on Levi's pillow, hands on Isabel's hips as she rode him with wild abandon.

He couldn't move as he watched his wife and his best friend make love in his marital bed. When Farlan sat up and the two moaned how much they loved and needed each other, he couldn't take it any more. He had kicked the door open and yelled at the top of his lungs. Instead of the two trying to play it off and apologizing or saying it wasn't what it looked like, Isabel had yelled back.

It was all Levi's fault. He was cold. He worked too much. They never fucked any more. It was his fault for pushing her away. Farlan had tried to speak but Levi hauled back and punched his former best friend in the face, hearing a satisfying crunch as his fist connected. Without another word, he threw the flowers at Isabel and left the house, ignoring her screeching and Farlan's moans of pain.

He had gone to Erwin's house and stayed there for almost a month as he filed for divorce and looked for an apartment of his own. His adopted older-brother-figure had paid for a top-of-the-line lawyer despite Levi's protests. When Isabel came out swinging and tried to get half of everything from him, he had never been more glad that he had followed Erwin's advice and made her sign a prenup before they got married. Six months and a messy, vicious legal battle later, he and Isabel were no longer legally bound. Only the loose ends, like the sale of the house, kept them in contact.

Levi had sworn off relationships and love after that. In one fell swoop he had lost the two people he had trusted without reserve, the wife he had loved more than he thought possible and the man he had called best friend for well over ten years. He still had acquaintances, and would even go so far as to call Hanji and the other artists at Legion friends, but he always maintained a careful distance between them. He didn't fully open up to anyone anymore. Nobody could be trusted and everyone had their own agenda. He hardened his heart and refused to let anyone in because he didn't want to be destroyed again.

Then he had stumbled across a starving teenager in the snow.

Somehow Eren had wormed his way into Levi's mind and heart and broken down the walls he used to protect himself. Even as he thought about it, he couldn't quite place when it had happened. It had been a slow process, something so gradual that he had failed to notice until it was too late.

Behind the hard front he put on for the world, Levi was a single minded, passionate man. Anything he did he put his whole being behind. If something was worth doing, it was worth doing all the way. He lived by that philosophy and, even though it had come back to bite him more than a few times, it had been beneficial many more times than it had hurt him. Granted, the times when it had hurt him had been soul-destroying, but he just considered those times learning experiences and adjusted himself so he wouldn't fall prey to the same situation again.

And now he was falling into the same trap he had with Isabel. He would have done anything for her if she had but asked him. She knew it and used it to her advantage a lot of the time. Levi had recognized this and though he didn't care for it, it made her happy and that was what mattered to him. Eren could ask him for nearly anything and he would give it his best shot, but the teen never asked.

And therein laid the main difference between her and Eren. Even though he could feel his emotions getting the better of him when it came to the teen, Eren never asked for anything from him. Isabel had been demanding from the start. Eren protested when Levi freely offered things, like the money to show Armin around. Isabel would have taken the offered money and asked for more. Eren did his best to not affect Levi's day-to-day life and be as unobtrusive as possible. Isabel wanted things her way or no way and he had bent over backwards to try and make her happy.

The cynical part of his brain reminded him that it hadn't been very long at all since Eren had come into his life and that he still didn't know everything he should about the teen. But, on the other hand, Eren had been nothing but up front about his situation and his problems. On top of that, it was impossible to know someone completely, inside and out. For example, he had known Farlan and Isabel for nearly half of his life and he had never even imagined that they were capable of betraying him like they had or how petty they both were in trying to drag him through the wringer in the divorce.

He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew with a bone-deep certainty that Eren would never do anything even remotely resembling something like that. Even though they still butted heads on occasion, it was never serious and any misunderstanding was usually cleared up in short order. Even the kid's friends seemed more earnest than most people he had ever met.

They never hid the truth of how they felt about certain matters when speaking with Eren, and on the occasions when Levi had spoken with them, they seemed genuine with him, as well. Armin was incredibly level-headed and amazingly intelligent and even though he might phrase things a certain way, he pulled no punches when they spoke. Even Mikasa made no secret of her feelings. Even though he felt her hatred was totally undeserved, she spoke the truth as she saw it, as twisted as it may have been.

And that brought him full circle, back to his fear that someone else he decided to trust and care for would leave him. Even though he could honestly say that he hadn't completely fallen for the brat yet, he could most certainly see that he was teetering on the precipice and the smallest push would send him flying off the edge, destroying the last fragments of protection around his heart.

That thought scared him more than anything else. If Eren stole his heart it would kill him if something happened. Losing Isabel had ripped him to shreds, but if he gave it a chance again and things went wrong with Eren, it would absolutely ruin him. At least with Isabel he had had the ability to pick up the shattered pieces of himself and put them back together. If it happened again, there would be nothing left. He knew this and acknowledged it but, despite his mind telling him that something would go wrong, that he didn't deserve another chance, that Eren would be better off with someone else, he couldn't help it. The teen had unknowingly seduced him, body and soul.

Levi sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. He couldn't do this. Even though Eren had promised he would come back there was no guarantee that he would. In Shingansina he had Armin and Mikasa and all of his other friends. With his talent and what Levi had already taught him there was no reason he couldn't find another tattoo artist to take him on as apprentice. All he had keeping him here was some sort of misguided loyalty to the man who had brought him in from the cold.

A small click caught his attention and he looked up from his hands to see Eren come through the door, a plastic bag in one hand. “Hey, Levi. Hope you don't mind, but I stopped and got some soda since we were almost out.” He toed off his shoes and set the bag on the floor to lock the door behind him and take off his coat. “Man, traffic is crazy for a Sunday. Is it a holiday or something? I know Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so it can't be that. Or maybe people are celebrating early, now that I think about it.”

Without realizing he moved, Levi found himself in front of Eren, just inside the apartment. The brunet looked at him with concern. “Hey, are you okay?”

“You came back to me.”

Green eyes softened at the whispered words. “Of course I did. I promised I would, remember?”

Levi stretched up to bury his face in Eren's neck, wrapping his arms around the other man. Eren hugged him back and Levi nearly sighed in relief. “Always come back to me, brat.” These words were said even more quietly than the previous ones.

The brunet pulled back to smile at him. Their lips met in a tender caress and Eren held him even tighter.

“Always, Levi. Forever.”

And the last walls fell as Levi gladly jumped over the edge.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't been replying to comments, but my life has been kind of insane lately (health problems and legal stuff) and I've barely been able to write, let alone interact with all you lovely people and reply to your kind comments. Hopefully in the next couple weeks things will settle and my muse will return so I can get back to writing. Thank you for putting up with me, and I hope to return soon. Many hugs and much love to you all! <3
> 
> my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). you know you want to.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess what? Time for smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what time it is. The moment we've all been waiting for. Yaaaaaay!
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient with me. I'm still struggling with the muse, but it's getting a little better. No promises on when the next update will be, but I swear I'm doing everything I can to get back into gear.
> 
> For anyone who is uncomfortable with this sort of thing, skip down to the end notes and I'll summarize what happens without any of the explicit details.

“Always, Levi. Forever.”

Eren hadn't realized the words he was going to say until they were already said. Still, even though he surprised himself, he didn't regret them. When Levi made a noise that almost sounded like a whimper, he realized he never would. He meant it with every fiber of his soul.

They may have only known each other for a short time, but his entire being had become centered around this man. When he had confessed to Armin that he liked Levi a lot more than anyone else he had ever been with, he hadn't been telling the whole truth. If he was totally honest with himself, he had never felt anything even remotely like this in his entire life. His instant attraction to the man had only grown exponentially as they spent more time together.

Of course lust was a factor, but it went beyond that. As much as he wanted Levi inside of him, wanted to be surrounded and consumed by the passion he could see simmering just below the surface of the serious man, that wasn't all. He looked forward to waking up and seeing his grumpy face every morning. He wanted to cuddle on the couch and watch bad science fiction. He adored the small smiles and laughs Levi gifted him with whenever he did or said something funny. Even if they never did anything physical again, Eren would be content with just having the level of intimacy they already shared.

He would always come back to Levi.

He would give Levi his forever.

If Levi asked he would tear out his beating heart and give it to him.

After all, he already owned it.

In between tender kisses, Levi slid his fingers down to intertwine with Eren's. Cheeks flushed, the shorter man backed away, gently tugging Eren along as he moved towards the bedroom. Licking his lips, Eren couldn't tear his eyes from Levi if his life depended on it as he let himself be led to the bed and maneuvered onto the edge of the mattress.

Levi straddled one of his thighs and cupped his jaw, bringing their foreheads together. Eren's hands went to Levi's hips as he moved, breathing heavily. “Eren...”

“Hm?”

“Say it again.”

It took a second for him to realize what Levi wanted him to say and when he did, he smiled and spoke the words against the other man's lips. “Forever, Levi. I'll always come back to you.”

Levi let out a shuddering breath and pressed his face into Eren's neck, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing tightly. Eren held him to his chest and just basked in the essence of Levi. Low words were muttered against his neck but Eren couldn't make them out. When he made a questioning noise, Levi just shook his head.

Trembling fingers slid down his back and under his shirt. Eren moved into the touch until he noticed just how badly the hands were vibrating. Concerned, he pulled back to look Levi in the face. “Hey, you're shaking. Are you okay?”

He didn't answer immediately, so Eren continued. “If you don't want to do this, we don't have to.”

“No! No, I-” Levi bit his lip and looked down. After a deep breath, grey eyes met green once more. “I want this. I want _you_. I'm just trying to go slow so I don't hurt you.”

“Do whatever you want with me. I know you wouldn't hurt me, love.”

Levi's eyes widened in surprise and only then did Eren realize what he had said, his own eyes widening with the realization. He had meant to say the man's name, but instead his real feelings came out. Before he could say anything else, Levi pounced on him, pushing him flat on the bed. Lips and tongue and teeth attacked his mouth as strong hands massaged his torso. Eren managed to sit up and pull back just enough to yank his shirt off. Strong fingers ran over the exposed skin, one hand finally settling on his chest. Slim fingertips pinched and pulled a nipple, rolling it around. Eren arched into Levi, begging for more.

Breaking the kiss, Levi's lips slid down Eren's neck and across his collarbone until they landed on his neglected nipple. Teeth worried the hard peak and Eren shivered. “Fuck, Levi...”

It felt so good he didn't notice his pants being undone until heated hands pushed down the cloth. Lifting his hips, he wiggled as Levi descended, taking his jeans and boxers with him. Despite everything Levi had ever said about anticipation being key or taking his time when they finally made it to bed, he went straight for Eren's cock, swallowing most of his length without any warning.

Eren kicked off his jeans the rest of the way as Levi went down on him, sucking his dick like it was his life's goal to make the teen come. Eren looked down and met Levi's sultry gaze. God, he was amazing. Threading his fingers through soft, black hair, Eren just held it out of the way and let Levi set the pace he wanted.

Seeing those lips stretched around him, feeling that tongue rub the sensitive underside, hearing the wet noises... it was almost too much.

“Le- Levi... come up here...”

He pulled off but only moved to stroke Eren with a hand. “What is it?”

“I'm gonna... I want... not like this...” It was hard to string together a sentence as he tried to stave off his orgasm. At Levi's raised brow, Eren gathered his willpower and leaned forward to grab the man's shirt. “I want you inside me.”

His hand stilled. “Are you sure?”

Eren's jaw dropped in disbelief, then his eyes narrowed. “If you don't get up here and make love to me I swear to god I'm going to knock you over and we'll do it on the floor.”

With a seductive smile, Levi stood and stripped, revealing skin that Eren still couldn't get enough of and a dick so hard the head was nearly purple. He grabbed a bottle out of the nightstand and threw it out the bed before crawling over Eren.

“You want me? Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.”

He wrapped a hand around Levi's cock and stroked firmly. “That's the point. I want all of you. Always.”

The older man blinked at his words, then smiled softly. Eren closed his eyes when Levi leaned down to connect their lips once more. Distantly, he heard the snap of the lube opening and a moment later slick fingers circled his entrance.

Spreading his legs as far as he could, Eren whined at the sensation when a single digit pressed inside and thrust. Head falling back, he whispered Levi's name. “God, Levi...”

“You're so fucking hot and tight. Just think how good it'll feel with my cock buried in this sexy ass.”

The rough words were said directly into his ear and Eren whined again. “You like when I talk like this, hm?” A second finger was added and he moaned at the stretch. Levi licked the spot below his ear and blew a cool stream of air over it. “Maybe another time I'll talk like that. But you wanted me to make love to you, didn't you?”

“God, yes... please, Levi... I love y-” Eren caught himself before uttering the last word and bit his lip to keep it from escaping.

The other man caught it and the fingers in his ass stilled as Levi leaned back to look him in the face. “What did you just say?”

Eren's flushed cheeks heated even more as he looked up at Levi's face. Grey eyes stared at him seriously, something strange swirling in the depths. Red lips parted slightly as he waited. Eren squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. This was it. He had to say it now, because he knew it would slip out when Levi was inside him and he wouldn't be able to control it. He would say those three words and Levi would say that he only saw Eren as a live-in fuck buddy or that he was just lonely and that's why he latched onto him.

“I said... I said...” Eren swallowed the lump in throat and forced the words out. “I said I love you.”

Levi blinked slowly, his mouth opening in surprise. Eren couldn't take the sight of it any more and turned his head, biting his lip and squeezing his eyes shut to help hold back the tears that wanted to escape. Strong fingers gently grasped his chin and tried to turn his face back, but he resisted.

“Eren, look at me. Please.” Unable to resist the soft plea, he looked up at Levi once more. “Do you really mean that or is it your cock talking?”

He huffed a sad laugh. “I mean it. Do you think I'd promise forever to just anyone?”

When Levi just stared down at him, Eren shook his head. Despite the fingers still inside him, he was done. He tried to move but Levi was a solid mass preventing him from going anywhere. “Levi, can you-”

“Me, too.”

“What?” He wasn't in the mood to decipher Levi-speak and his flat tone showed it. All Eren wanted to do was retreat to his room and lick his wounds. It had been too soon and he had fucked it all up. Tomorrow he would be fine, or at least be able to pretend, but today he needed to wallow in his misery.

“I love you, too, you idiot.”

Eren's mouth worked open and closed silently for a moment before he managed to force out a single, strangled word. “What?”

“I love you, Eren. I almost lost it when I thought you wouldn't come back.”

“Levi...”

His fingers began slowly thrusting in and out again. “Say it again for me.”

He wrapped his arms around Levi and pulled him down so their chests were flush against each other. Nuzzling into Levi's ear, he repeated the words that had gotten such a reaction the first time. “I love you. Forever.”

Levi let out a tortured groan and pressed his lips to Eren's, murmuring his own declaration of love into his mouth. Their hips rocked together as Levi stretched him out, preparing him for what was to come. When a third finger was added, Eren's entire body jolted as his prostate was hit. Levi concentrated on that spot and soon Eren was a needy, moaning mess.

Levi sat back and pulled his fingers out to squirt more lube on his dick. Eren pulled up his legs and bit his lip, attention rapt as Levi stroked himself. When he covered Eren once again, he hooked his arms behind Eren's knees and lined himself up.

Pressing their lips together softly, Levi spoke as he pushed inside. “I fucking love you.”

Eren's head fell back as he stretched even further to take him inside. “Holy... fuck... god, Levi...” The thick metal ring felt strange, but so, so good as it delved deeper. Slowly, Levi worked himself in until he was fully sheathed inside Eren.

“God, Eren... you feel so fucking good.”

At least Levi could still be coherent. Eren could barely remember his own name and they hadn't really even started yet. Grasping Levi desperately, Eren moaned into his mouth and shifted his hips, begging without words for Levi to take him, to fuck him until he couldn't move, to lay himself so deeply inside Eren that the brunet would never forget this moment.

Levi pulled out until just the head remained in, then with a smooth roll of his hips, filled Eren once more. They both cursed as Levi did it over and over again, setting a delicious pace, and Eren could feel every bit of him. Eren's entire world had narrowed to this exact moment and he couldn't have been more thrilled. He had imagined this happening hundreds of times but his fantasies paled in comparison to the real thing. All of his senses were overwhelmed with Levi. The feeling of Levi covering him, thrusting deep inside. The fresh scent of shampoo tinged with the musk of sex. The sight of grey eyes and flushed cheeks. The taste of his lips and the slight tang of sweat from his exertions. The breathy pants and whispered words of love and adoration.

Eren wailed when Levi rammed into his most sensitive spot and the man focused on hitting it with each thrust. Soon enough his body tightened under the assault and he felt like he was going to die as every muscle tightened in anticipation. “Mmm, Levi... so close... I'm gonna... fuck!”

Levi buried himself deep and ground his hips against Eren's, sending him into that weird place where everything froze for a moment as he hung on the edge. Low words growled into his ear. “Come for me love, give it to me.”

Eren's entire body seized as he came, cock untouched, cum shooting all over their chests and stomachs. Levi let out a throaty moan and plunged deep inside, riding Eren through it and prolonging the sensation until he gripped the teen's hips with bruising force, holding them tightly together as his dick twitched and pulsed inside of Eren.

“Fuck, Eren, fuck... yes, take it all...”

After a long moment, Levi all but collapsed on top of him then, with a soft sound, slipped out and fell to the side. Eren curled into his lover and Levi hugged him back. When Levi made to get up shortly after, Eren whined in protest. He was silenced with a kiss.

“I'll be right back, I promise.”

Eren nodded, unable to follow Levi out of the room if he had tried. His legs were numb and tingly and his back ached from being folded in half the entire time. The twinge in his ass, though, he didn't mind that in the slightest. Totally worth it. Being with Levi had been everything he had imagined and so much more. Even his accidental confession had turned out better than he could have ever hoped. For Levi to feel the same way... it was mind boggling.

The short man came back in the room and helped Eren to stand, then led the way to the bathroom where he had drawn a warm bath. Gingerly, Eren stepped into the water and lowered himself, then held a hand out to Levi. Blushing slightly, Levi got between Eren's legs, leaning his back to Eren's chest.

Wrapping his arms around Levi, Eren ran his hands all over the defined chest and stomach. Levi's head fell back against his shoulder as his hands ran up and down Eren's thighs. No words were needed as they just soaked in each other's presence, reveling in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

And as cheesy as it sounded, even inside his own head, Eren couldn't call it anything else. It was more than just sex, more than fucking. It was so amazing because they did it with each other, did it with the person they loved. It still had yet to fully sink in that Levi felt the same as he did. But even as the physical ache of being ridden faded, his mind still lingered in a haze of feelings. Bending down, he buried his face in Levi's neck, pressing chaste kisses to the tender skin, making no move to go further.

A stray thought crossed his mind and even though it was ridiculous, Eren still gave voice to it. “Hey, Levi?”

“Hm?”

“This is really happening, isn't it? I'm not going to wake up and find out this was a wet dream or anything, am I?”

Levi snorted a tiny laugh. “I hope not. Because if it is a dream, I don't want to wake up, either.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR Version: Eren accidentally confesses his feelings for Levi during foreplay. Embarrassed and convinced his love is unrequited, he tries to escape, but Levi stops him and confesses his own feelings. Then they bang.
> 
> More SnK/yaoi/NSFW goodness at my [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com).


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She may be small, but she is mighty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I'm alive!
> 
> I can't apologize enough for how long this has taken me. My short hiatus turned into a super long ordeal and only now have I gotten my mojo back. I've actually written three separate versions of this chapter, and this is the one I'm most pleased with. Still not totally satisfied, but I wanted to get an update out before everyone abandoned this fic. 
> 
> Don't worry. I have every intention of finishing this story. Ereri is my OTP above all OTPs and I'll do my best to not neglect them any more. It may take a couple chapters to fully get back in the swing of things and I'll do my best in the meantime. For now, though, enjoy another random POV.
> 
> Hugs and kisses to everyone who has stayed with me for this long, and a hearty welcome to everyone who just found this fic. I love you all so very much!

Petra was used to being underestimated.

A petite girl in every sense of the word, she stood at just a touch over five feet, two inches. With a slim build, large hazel eyes and a melodic voice, a lot of people tended to dismiss her as some airhead. Even though she was a tattoo artist and piercer, both vastly male-dominated professions, and had dozens of hours of ink under her skin, because of her feminine appearance a lot of people didn't take her seriously.

One of those people stood across the counter, smirking down at her in condescension. She might have been used to it, but that didn't mean it pissed her off any less whenever it happened.

Still, she was at work and needed to at least feign professionalism.

“I assure you, Levi is completely booked today. We have a couple other artists that will be in later, or if you leave your name and number, we can call you if Levi has a cancellation.”

“Listen, sweetheart,” the douchebag leaned on the counter and gave her a slow look up and down. Her skin crawled and she promised herself that if he said one more thing he was getting booted out of here faster than he could even imagine. “I know the guy who owns this place. And if you want to keep your little job here, you're going to take me in the back room and get the guy to work his magic.”

“Like I said, he's fully booked today. You can make an appointment with one of our other artists if you'd like.”

He rolled his eyes and smiled in what she imagined was supposed to be a flirty manner. It just came off as smarmy and gross. “If you want my number that bad, baby, all you have to do is ask.”

Please. If they were the last two people on the planet she would let the human race die rather than willingly get within a mile of this guy. He exuded everything she disliked. From his overly-gelled hair and the obvious fake tan to his overabundance of flashy jewelry and Ed Hardy shirt, she wouldn't associate with this guy unless she had no other choice.

In all seriousness, though, he wore one of those tacky, blinged-out shirts to a tattoo studio? What a tool.

Fed up with him, she dropped all pretense of civility and let out an annoyed sigh. “Listen, shitstain, I don't want your number. And there's no way you're getting anything done here after that little performance. So get out before I throw you out.”

His face turned an impressive shade of red and she smirked. “Do you even know who the fuck you're talking to, little girl?”

“An entitled, spoiled, frat boy rich kid who thinks that his steroid-shriveled balls are god's gift to women? I don't give a flying fuck who you are, get out.”

“You bitch! I'm gonna-”

“Is there a problem, Petra?” At the familiar voice, she relaxed slightly. This was going to be worth it.

Levi stood just inside the front door, Eren right behind him. The douchebag turned to look at the new arrivals, then threw a smirk back at Petra. “Levi! It's been a while. This chick needs an attitude adjustment. Wouldn't let me get a tattoo.”

Grey eyes looked at him speculatively. “Do I know you?”

“Come on, man. Don't be like that. It's Mason. Mason Green. It's been too long if you can't remember me. I was even at your housewarming party.”

Petra's eyes widened and snapped to Levi. His had narrowed dangerously. “Oh, yeah. Now I remember. You're one of Farlan's coworkers.”

“See, I knew you'd remember! Now, I came in and wanted to get some ink and this chick flipped her shit on me and told me to get out.” Levi looked at Petra, who just crossed her arms and gave him a look, thinning her lips, then back to the man.

“Okay, then. Get out.”

The guy turned to give her a victorious smile. When she only raised an eyebrow and made no motion to leave, Levi's words sunk in and his brow furrowed. “What? Are you serious?”

“If you aren't gone in ten seconds I will physically remove you.”

The guy looked down at Levi in disbelief. “What happened to 'the customer is always right'?”

“It doesn't apply when the customer is a raging shitbag that manages to piss off one of the nicest people I know.”

Drawing up to his full height, he tried to use his size to intimidate Levi, since he was barely an inch taller than Petra. “What the fuck are you going to do about it, short stack?”

“Eren, hang on to this.” Levi gave the brunet his bag and stripped off his gloves before turning his attention back to the other man. “Are you still here?”

“The fuck is your problem, man? You're taking this whore's word over mi- OOF!”

His words cut off with a large exhale as Levi knocked the wind out of him. Eren held the door open as Levi half-carried the guy outside and dumped him into a puddle of partially-melted, dirty slush in the gutter. Clambering to his feet, the guy tried to intimidate Levi with his size once more and swung a meaty fist, but got knocked down again by a single punch to the gut. Petra watched through the window as the guy got up once more, spit at Levi, then stalked off, cursing. Eren didn't move from his position at the door until Levi was back inside.

Her gaze flicked back and forth between the two men as Eren gave Levi back his bag. The teen leaned down to say something into Levi's ear and the older man scoffed, rolling his eyes. Something was a bit off with those two. Not wrong, per se, but it was different than the regular dynamic she was accustomed to seeing between them.

“Where are Erd and Gunther?”

“Erd is calling in the next supply order and Gunther's running behind. His car got a flat.”

Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance. “We don't even open for another ten minutes. What was that asshole doing in here?”

Petra rolled her eyes. “He walked in like he owned the place, since the door was unlocked, and wouldn't listen when I told him that he needed an appointment and you were booked for the day. He wasn't too bad until a minute before you came in.”

“You know what to do if none of us are here, right?”

She smiled at Levi's concern. He might have a hard exterior, but he genuinely cared for people's well-being. “Slugger is under the counter. There's mace by the register. And...” She reached in her right pocket and pulled out a slim butterfly blade, whipping it open and closed, much to Eren's open amazement. “I'm good until help arrives.”

Levi nodded in approval. “You finished those classes?”

“Yes, mom.” She winked at Eren when he laughed at Levi's face. “Passed self-defense with flying colors. I got it if things go down, I swear.”

“Okay. Go over the procedures with Eren. Did you go on a coffee run yet?” When she shook her head, he pursed his lips slightly. “If Gunther doesn't have an appointment first thing, send him. If he does, take Eren with you and introduce him.”

Levi walked to the back, leaving Eren and Petra at the counter. “That knife thing was really cool.”

“Thanks.”She slipped the metal back into her pocket and smiled. “Why don't you go take off your coat and then I'll tell you what to do if things go south up here.”

A moment later, Eren was back and Petra's eyes widened. Eren's neck was littered with bruises, all in various stages of healing. “Oh, honey. You need to go put your scarf back on or let me use some makeup on you.”

He blushed and gently rubbed the damaged skin. “That bad, huh?”

“It looks like you got in a fight with an octopus and lost.”

“Maybe I should have bought the makeup when we stopped for Levi's patch, huh?” As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened comically and he backtracked furiously. “I- I mean, Levi slept wrong on his neck and we had to stop for an IcyHot patch. He told me it looked bad but I didn't think it was _that_ bad.”

Narrowing her eyes, Petra looked him up and down. She had her suspicions about what was happening, but decided to keep it to herself for now. The time for questions would come up sooner or later. For now, though...

“Yeah, definitely. There's a drug store next to the coffee shop. We'll get some when we go out. You can't take customers looking like that. One or two, at most, _maybe_ , but geez... at least tell me it was worth it.”

“Every second.” His dreamy expression made her giggle and he snapped out of it. “So... what's the deal if we get another asshole?”

“The knife is mine, but...” She showed him a small cubby next to the register. “This is bear mace. It'll take down a linebacker and turn him into a screaming toddler. And this,” she reached under the counter and pulled out a wooden baseball bat, “is Slugger.”

Eren blinked when she mimed whacking someone with it. “Does... does Slugger get a lot of use?”

Laughing, she put it back under the counter. “Nope. We don't get a lot of people where we need to break out the big guns. Mostly they just like to huff and puff at the girl behind the counter. A lot of the assholes can be talked down or threatened enough to leave. Most of the time they're just idiots or drunk and get scared off without any help. People with tattoos are crazy and intimidating, you know.”

A couple hours later, Petra found her suspicions growing by the moment. On their trip to the coffee shop, she had asked Eren if he and Levi were living together. After a moment of sputtering, he admitted to it, but said it was only because he had been living on the streets when Levi found him and had offered to help get his life straight. Back at the shop she had showed Eren how to cover his bruises while Erd watched the counter. Levi had looked him over with approval when she was done, and she barely held back a squeak of surprise when she saw that his IcyHot patch had slipped a bit, exposing part of a hickey exactly like Eren's. She took Eren aside and told him to have Levi fix it.

Eren now sat at an unclaimed station with a pile of parts in front of him, concentrating on putting a tattoo machine together. Levi had gone over it with him once, then made him break it down and do it himself. Whenever Eren needed help, Levi spoke to him with more patience than Petra had ever seen him have with anyone else. Anytime they happened to touch one another, the contact lingered a little longer than normal. Levi's eyes softened just a bit every time he looked in Eren's direction.

Oh, yeah. Something was definitely going on between those two. Ninety-nine percent sure what was going to happen, Petra pulled out her phone and typed a quick text message.

**To: Armin**

**So how long have Eren and Levi been together?**

Pocketing the device, she leaned against the counter and watched Eren. She didn't have to wait long.

Less than a minute later his phone dinged. As soon as his eyes hit the screen they widened and he bolted upright. Whipping his head around, she had to bite her tongue to not laugh at his expression. Smiling softly, she mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. He seemed to relax a bit, but tapped furiously at his phone.

When the familiar tone sounded, she took out her phone and smiled at the message.

**From: Eren**

**plz dnt say anything! Levi wnts to keep it quiet so thngs dnt get weird**

As she wrote back, promising to not say a word, her phone binged again.

**From: Armin**

**Don't say anything, please? They want to see how things go before putting it out there.**

Smiling, she swore to not let on what she knew. Not that she was worried about it affecting their work or what the other artists would have to say, but out of consideration for her friends and their privacy. She could already predict exactly what the other's responses would be. Erd would shrug it off, not caring one way or the other as long as it didn't affect day-to-day operations. Gunther would congratulate them and probably forget within a week. Auruo would huff and puff about how it would disrupt the atmosphere of the shop and needle Eren about it, but trust that Levi would never let anything really affect Legion.

In all actuality, since Eren had come into Levi's life, he had been different. From an outsider's perspective he probably still came off as the no nonsense, hardcore badass with zero sense of humor, but to someone who had known him for years, he had changed for the better.

He was still a demanding boss, but had eased up on the reprimands, not yelling at minor mistakes or assigning busywork as punishments. His standards hadn't decreased in the slightest, but he was more forgiving as long as the mistakes were corrected immediately and not repeated. He seemed much less tense and almost had a smile on his face some days. It might not have seemed like much, but it was a sign that Levi was finally getting over the shit that had gone down a couple years ago.

Plus, Eren was a delight. Sure, Petra loved her coworkers and considered them friends even on the days when they were damn near unbearable _*cough*Auruo*cough_ * and she couldn't wait to get away from them. Erd was soft spoken and generous. Gunther bounced back and forth between being silly and serious. Auruo, while overbearing and harsh a lot of the time, genuinely cared for them all and would give any of them the shirt off of his back.

But Eren... he was a ray of sunshine. He was all over the shop all the time, asking questions and doing anything he could to help out and learn the business. He had a snarky sense of humor and, while he knew he was the shop bitch, refused to put up with any crap. Petra bit back a smile when she remembered the time he had called Auruo out on imitating Levi. It was priceless and later on that night, when she, Gunther, and Auruo had hit the bar for a couple drinks, the man had admitted that Eren calling him out had made him respect the kid more.

And everyone had noticed the subtle change in Levi. He seemed more like his old self and everyone was glad to see it. The other artists in the surrounding area had mentioned a few times that they never understood how Levi could keep his crew together for so long with almost zero turnover. Granted, there had been a few attempts to get fresh blood in the shop, but the new artists always butted heads with Levi within a couple weeks and quit. They just didn't understand Levi. If he believed in your talent and ability, he would push and prod and critique until you reached your true peak, then do what he could to keep you there. The core group had been the same for over three years and, while they were content with what they had, it was awesome to see a new face have such an impact on the boss.

Petra also had to admit that she had an even bigger soft spot for Eren since his friend stopped by. Armin was a handsome piece of man, not to mention how smart he was. After slipping him her number, he had texted when he returned home and they had been carrying on a conversation for almost three days straight. He made it a point to respond whenever he saw a message, even if it was to say that he was in class or busy doing something else.

Truthfully, she didn't really expect anything to come of it besides some harmless flirtation or maybe a nice date if he ever came back to Mitras. But he was entertaining and fun to talk to, so she was just having fun with it for now.

The bell over the door dinged and broke her out of her thoughts. Raising her eyebrows in surprise, she recovered quickly and smiled. “Hey there. What can I help you with?”

The suited man looked distinctly uncomfortable as he looked around the waiting area. He held a black briefcase in one hand, his grip white-knuckled as he gave Petra the most nervous yet patently fake smile she had ever gotten. It looked incredibly wrong on his wrinkled face, his bad comb over only adding to the ridiculousness. “Yes, would it be possible to speak with Mr. Levi Ackerman for a moment?”

“Oh? Um, I think he's on a call, but I can see if he's available... what is this regarding?”

The fake smile turned into a full-on condescending smirk. “A private legal matter.” Even his tone was patronizing. After the Jersey Shore reject from earlier, Petra barely restrained herself from macing the prick.

“Sure thing,” she said, putting as much venom into it as she could while smiling back at him, “Let me go see if he has time for you.”

Without waiting for a response, she spun on a heel and went to the office, passing a curious Eren and a tattooing Erd. With a perfunctory knock on the door frame, she popped her head into the office.

“Hey, Levi, some guy in a suit is asking for you.”

Grey eyes looked up at her from the computer monitor with one eyebrow raised. “What does he want?”

“No idea. I asked and he said it was 'a private legal matter'. Want me to tell him come back later?”

Clicking his tongue, Levi sighed heavily. “No, I'm booked up for the rest of the day. Let me just finish going over this stuff and I'll be out in a few minutes.”

When she returned to the counter, the man was in the same spot, still wearing the infuriating smirk. “He's just finishing up and will be out in a few. Feel free to have a seat until then.” She gestured towards the couches and he scoffed softly.

“I'll stand, thank you.”

The bell above the door dinged again and a bearded man walked in, taking his place in line behind the suit. Petra pursed her lips when the guy didn't move. “I don't care if you stand, but unless you're planning on getting work done, you need to move.”

Rolling his eyes as if he was doing her a huge favor, the man stepped to the side. The bearded man eyed the suit before stepping up to Petra. “Hi. I have an appointment with Gunther.”

“Oh, okay.” She looked at the schedule and smiled. “You must be Jeremiah. Gunther just stepped out for a smoke. If you want to have a seat, he'll be back in a few to take care of you.”

“Cool, thanks.” The younger man took a seat on a couch and flipped through a magazine. The suit stepped back in front of the counter, the smirk on his face once again. Thankfully, she didn't have to put up with his presence for very long. Just as Gunther came back in and escorted his client to the back, Levi walked around the counter, frowning.

“How can I help you, Weilman?”

The man opened his briefcase to pull out an envelope and handed it to Levi. “You've been summoned.”

The shorter man curled his lip. “What the hell does she want now?”

“Mr. Ackerman, we're all adults. Please behave with some semblance of courtesy.” Petra's eye twitched at his tone and Levi's narrowed dangerously. “If you don't show up to the hearing, I'm afraid that things will not go well for you.”

With a mocking smile, the suit left the shop, not waiting for any response. Levi opened the envelope, nearly ripping the paper as he snarled. Eyes scanning the papers, Levi cursed. He held the papers and envelope up to one of the security cameras, then slammed it down on the counter in front of Petra.

“Sign and date this in the corner.”

“Okay...” She did as he asked, watching as he held the signed envelope up to the camera once again.

He roughly folded the papers and shoved them back inside before turning to her. “Cancel my appointment for tonight. Tell her it was an emergency or something. Reschedule whenever I have a spot open. Or tell her I can come in on my day off if it's more convenient for her. I need to go.”

Before she could ask him what all that was about, he was gone. A moment later, Levi reappeared, dragging a confused Eren behind him. “Petra, clean up the machine when you have a minute. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Eren barely had time to throw her a questioning glance before they were both gone.

What the hell just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halp! My [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com) has been taken over by YoI!

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [tumblr](http://doodlesbyday.tumblr.com). It's filled with SnK, DMMd, NSP/GG, fangirling and yaoi. Mostly NSFW. I regret nothing.


End file.
